14. The road is long, we carry on

He could not feel it.

He glanced around, at the courts, at the team, as he waited for Morimura to speak. Those would be the first matches of the season, and the Captain was about to announce the line-up for the day. Sanada just couldn't feel it.

The atmosphere, the adrenaline; the desire to give your fullest, the challenge ahead, and, more than that, the thrill of having chance to prove yourself on the court.

Those were the feelings he had expected when he woke up that morning.

Instead, he felt nothing.

Everything went according to his plans so far, Sanada reminded himself. He joined the team. He made a name for himself in the club. He earned the chance to play in official matches. That was what he he had wanted. Everything was as it was supposed to be.

Except that it wasn't.

Sanada tried to recall the previous year. Same spring breeze, similar tennis garden. Same background noise. Wrong move, he soon realized.

He truly remembered what he was feeling one year before, loud and clear in his mind. That would've been the first tournament for Yukimura as Captain. Sanada could never forget how he had felt when he woke up that morning, the weight on his chest, that made him want to scream and cry at the same time. It wasn't right. Nothing was right.

It wasn't the weight of the legacy, of the pressure, that made him wake up in the middle of the night, out of breath as he had just ran a marathon, with cold shivers that run down his back. That weight - it wasn't only his, wasn't it. There were six people that carried it with him, six people with the same goal: never losing before their Captain came back.

And that was it. Yukimura had entered the hospital in December, and yet no-one was able to tell him what was wrong with his body. He underwent exam after exam, therapy after therapy, and yet there still was no answer.

Sanada was ready to carry that weight for him. But he needed to see an end for it. He needed to see the day where he wouldn't need to carry that weight anymore.

Grasping for a hope without certainty became every day harder and harder.

They won, that day. Of course they did. They did not lose a single game, as it should've been. They went to visit Yukimura later that day, all of them. All sharing the same goal. All sharing the same motivation. All sharing the same need.

And what's my need, now, Sanada wondered.

To shine, he told himself. To keep winning. To keep improving. As it should be.

And still, something was missing. Something that couldn't name for certain, but that he hoped he would find again, sooner or later.


"Fine".

Morimura glanced around, looking at his team, one by one.

They were gathered just outside the courts. Some people were already reaching the bleachers. There usually wasn't a lot of crowd, for the preliminaries, but it guessed High School's tournaments attracted more people than Junior High's, even at the earlier stages. They were about to know the line-up for the day, before starting the warming up.

Morimura took a deep breath. "I would wish to-"

"Spare us your motivational speech", Minami said. "We don't need it".

Sanada glared at him, but said nothing. It wasn't his place to say anything. If it was, Minami Akito wouldn't be playing in the team for a long time.

"You know what?", Morimura took a step towards him. "I don't give a fuck about what you need, Minami. Just shut the hell up and let me finish".

Minami laughed, but said nothing.

"It's just his way to cope with the fact that he's nervous". One of the Kitamura twins jumped down from the fence on which he was sitting. "Excuse his sorry ass, Morimura".

His brother warned him with a glance.

Minami smiled, slyly. "I've got no reason to be nervous. No-one will blame me if we suck".

"You sure suck, but no-one blames you indeed", Kitamura retorted. "Mother Nature doesn't have to be kind to everyone.".

Minami opened his mouth to reply.

"If you're done", Morimura said, dryly, "we have some matches to play".

Minami shook his head. Sighed. "Go ahead, then", he said. "Tell us how much of a strong team we are, how you blindly trust us to-"

"Don't give me shit". Morimura snapped. "I don't trust any of you. In the slightest. Safe for Asou, clearly-"

"Of course, an husband always trust his wif-"

"What I trust, instead", Morimura raised his voice, "is the reason that brought you all here. The only reason I chose you, because, believe me, some of you wouldn't have been my first choice not even in my worst nightmares".

No-one said a word. Well, Sanada thought, if it was a motivational speech before a match, it surely was the worst one he had ever heard in his entire life.

He heard Niou's soft laugh next to him.

"Are we talking about you, Minami?", he glanced at him. "You don't give a shit about any of us. If you could skip all this tournaments to go directly at the Winter Invitationals, you'd sign it with blood. We all know that. You don't need to remind us that you hate the whole team, we already know. But it's okay, because if you want to excel, that means you want to win. And that's also what we want you to do".

Minami didn't even blink.

Morimura turned around. "Hongo? You like to crush your opponents. You love it, because you're a sadistic bastard and you're even proud of that".

Hongo grinned. "You betcha".

"That's fine to me, as long as you win matches. Mouri? Kuroba? You do the fuck you want. Don't want to attend practice? Fine. Wanna go practice on your own? Also fine. As long as you win".

"Same for you", he turned towards the twins. "You think you don't need to improve your weaknesses, since you compensate for each other on court. Fine to me as well. As long as you win".

He glanced around. "As long as you win", he repeated, one more time. "Because that's the deal, you know? I know I can't expect anything else from you all. You're the cards that had been given to me, right? And sometimes you end up with shitty cards, and you just need to learn how to play with them. And that's what I want to do".

"But here's the thing", he looked towards Sanada, and then Hirose, and then Niou, then back at his team. "There are people in this club that want your place more than you ever did. And that are fully determined to take it away from you. And you know what? I'll be gladly giving it to them, as soon as they're ready. So, if I were in your shoes", he took a deep breath, "I'd start to think not only in terms of how much this team needs you, but how much you need this team, as well. You want that place in the Invitationals?", he looked towards Minami. "That scholarship?", he glanced at Kuroba. "Your favorite place to show your ass off?", Hongo grinned back. "Then fucking act like it".

An utter silence followed that words.

Asou was standing beside Morimura, but for once, he seemed the shorter one. Sanada couldn't explain himself why he had been touched by that speech - that didn't seem a Captain speech, not in the slightest - but indeed he had. He recognized the pride in Morimura's words. He didn't give up his team, he thought. He's just trying to find a way to work for what he had for now. It was something Sanada could respect.

"You know what?", Minami said, "I like you a little more now".

Morimura ignored him.

"Now", he proceeded, "this is the team for today".


"Captain, may I have a word?"

Morimura gave a last glance towards the court before turning to look at Sanada. He nodded, as he had expected his request.

Sanada had said nothing when the line-up had been announced. He took his time to collect his toughs, to understand what was really upsetting him in the fact that he wasn't going to play. And he found that that was the question itself that was wrong in the first place.

"I guess you want to ask me why you won't be playing today", Morimura said. He was looking at the Court again. Sanada followed his gaze.

The Kitamura twins got the Doubles 1 spot. The quieter one - as Sanada labelled him, the one who tried to prevent his brother from bickering with Minami - seemed a little bit upset after the Captain's speech. His brother's - the troublesome one, in Sanada's own classification - reaction, or attempt to cheer him up, had been to splash him in the face with his water bottle.

His shirt was still soaked wet when they started the warming up.

They were warming up with Kuroba and Mouri, who got chosen for Doubles 2.

A logical choice, Sanada thought.

Niou got the Singles 3 match. He was currently rallying with Asou, who, as the Captain, wouldn't be playing today. Minami and Hongo had been chosen for Singles 2 and 1, respectively. The were warming up in the farthest corner.

"You want to know why I didn't choose you and Hirose for Doubles 2".

It wasn't a question. It didn't need to be.

"That's not it". Sanada shook his head. "I can understand why you did not. I would've done the same".

It was a ridiculous thought. There was probably no team worse than himself and Hirose in the entire club, amateurs included.

"So what do you want from me?", Morimura asked.

"I want to understand why I am not allowed to play singles". Sanada cut is short. "I've heard your speech, earlier". There are people in this club that want your place more than you ever did. "If you really mean that", and that are fully determined to take it away from you, "I ask you to stop forcing me to play doubles". And you know what? I'll be gladly giving it to them, as soon as they're ready. "Please", he added, out of politeness.

Morimura looked at him, as he was weighting his words.

There was nothing to weight, no subtext to read. Sanada was not a doubles player. His doubles game was decent enough to allow him to be a threat in that field too, but not nearly comparable to his skills in singles. Doubles was just a completely different discipline. It required coordination, communication, but more than that, it required a worthy partner.

And that was the whole point, in the end.

"I'm not forcing you to do anything", Morimura said.

"Then let me play singles".

The Captain sighed.

"Sit here for a moment, please".

His gaze focused behind Sanada's shoulders. Hirose sat on the bleachers, not far from where Yanagi was chatting with Matsui, his eyes linked on the court, where the warming up was going ahead.

"You seem to imply that I'm making you play doubles because I want to punish you, or something like that", Morimura said, after Sanada, turning his back to the bleachers, had sat on the bench next to him.

"I don't", he replied. That would be ridiculous from his side. His opinion on the Captain was't that low. "I simply feel you haven't understand what kind of player I am".

"And what kind of player are you?", Morimura asked, predictably.

One of the best singles player of the Middle School division, Sanada could answer. He never loved to brag, but that would be just the truth, right? But still, it surely wasn't something Morimura wasn't already aware of.

"Not a doubles player", he said, "and I'm not interested in becoming one, either".

"I'm not interested in making you one, too". Morimura sighed again. "I just-", he looked at him for a long moment. "Can I ask you something?"

Sanada nodded.

"Would you be more interested in playing doubles, if you were paired up with a different partner?", he shot a quick glance at the bleachers. "Yanagi-kun, maybe?"

Even if the insinuation was clear, Sanada couldn't see in the Captain any attempt to offend him. He genuinely seemed in desire to understand - and, maybe, to prove a point, too.

"It would surely be more fruitful", he replied. Yanagi was a better doubles player than he was, and they could definitely be a good combination, even if they never played together in official matches. "But I wouldn't be more interested".

"But you wouldn't think about it in terms of a complete waste of your time", Morimura said.

Sanada hesitated. "I wouldn't", he admitted.

"So, my question is clear here". Morimura glanced again towards Hirose, who had moved near the fence, chatting with Mouri and Kuroba, who were taking a break from their warming up.

"And my answer is clear as well".

Morimura said nothing.

The warm-up on the court was almost ended. Their first round opponents had just arrived, on the other side of the court. It was a school Sanada had heard mentioning before; his seniors seemed to know it quite well instead.

"You know", Morimura eventually reprised, "it had been Asou's idea. To have you two playing together". He glanced at his vice-captain, who was about to leave the court with Niou, to leave it to their opponents to warm up as well. "After you played against each other in the ranking matches. He said that you were a reliable player, with skills that could let you excel in both singles and doubles. Hirose, on the other hand, is a solid player". He paused. "He has the potential to excel as well, he only lacks in self-confidence. And I think we both know how essential it is for a player who wants to compete at this level".

"He had seemed pretty confident to me, when we talked", Sanada replied, dryly.

Too much confident, also. And he wasn't ready to agree with Morimura about his potential to excel, as well. But he wasn't in the right position to question him on that.

"I'm not speaking about his personality", there was a reprimand in his tone, "but about his attitude on court. Asou thought that pairing him up with a strong player could help him develop the right confidence he needed".

"So you're using me", Sanada said.

Morimura smiled, he shook his head. "It's not like that", he paused. "You said you heard my speech, earlier, right?"

Loud and clear, Sanada thought. He nodded.

"So you may have guessed that I'm sick tired of players that put themselves first, and who look at this team as their personal mean to obtain something else. I want players who put this team first. I want players who see opportunities for growing, for improving, when other see only the tantrums of a Captain who doesn't know what he's doing". He took a deep breath. "I don't know what are the problems between you two, why you don't even try to play together - because that's the point, isn't it? You're not even trying".

Sanada didn't bother to deny.

"So, you may want to fix it between you two. Because if you're paired together, it's for a reason. Not because all the singles spots were taken. And surely not because we want you to baby-sit Hirose". He looked at him deep in the eye. "You can choose to trust me, or you can do as anyone else does in this club, and do the hell you want. You know what I want to create here. You've heard it", he turned towards the court. The warming up was ended. "It's up to you if you want to be part of it, or not".

Sanada didn't reply. He got up, as the players left the court, and headed towards the bench.

"Thank you for your time", he said, before heading for the bleachers, where Yanagi was awaiting him.


He could almost touch it.

The adrenaline in the early spring air, the loud chattery, the laughters from the crowd that started gathering on the bleachers. The hypnotic sound of the warming-up rallies, the voices from coaches or captains, yelling instructions from the sidelines, the rare announcements from the speakers.

Yukimura closed his eyes, took a deep breath. His memories went back until a year before, when he had been sitting on the hospital's roof, his gaze lingering on the horizon, towards the direction where the tennis garden was supposed to be.

He had closed his eyes then, too. And he had recalled all those feelings he had felt until that moment, clinging to the promise he would feel them once again.

Soon, he had told himself.

Soon they'll tell me more. The days passed, the treatments failed, the doctors had no answers for him.

Soon. His parents came everyday, trying to cheer him up, trying to be optimistic, but they have no real reason to be, right?

Soon. His teammates had been there the day before. They promised him to keep winning until his return. When you'll return, they said, and Yukimura clung to that when, to that implied promise, even if he had no rational reason to do so.

Soon.

The days were long, at the hospital, and yet they seemed to slip away too fast, day after day after day, and all he could do was sit there. And wait.

He shook his head. It had been quite a while since the last time he thought about his days at the hospital. They weren't memories he usually wished to recall. But it wasn't the sense of despair the one he wanted to feel again.

On those long days, the thought of stepping on a court again was perhaps the only thing that calmed his mind, the only thing that kept him sane in those sleepless nights with no answers, with no promises. He lost count of the matches he had played in his mind.

He sat on that roof, closed his eyes, and there he was on court again, the grip of the racket under his fingers, the heat of the sun catching his breath.

Forehand, backhand, slice, topspin, volley, lob… He tried every combination, perfectly knowing what he was capable of, which were his limits, and how to overcome them.

That will, that feral desire, was what he brought him on court again, only weeks after his surgery, despite his parents' opposition, despite the doctor's advice to keep it slow.

In the end, he managed to obtain the green light for one single match during the tournament, and Yukimura had no doubt of which one he would choose.

And he didn't regret it, despite the result.

That urge, that burning desire to be on court again- where has it gone?

There was nothing else he would wish for, but to feel it again.

"You're here".

He had reached the bleachers. Yanagi greeted him with a smile. Sanada sat on his left side; on his right side, Matsui was busy taking notes.

After a moment of hesitation, Yukimura took the seat next to her.

She glanced up. "Good morning, Yukimura-kun". She kept writing in a very messy calligraphy. Sanada would probably feel the wish to burn that notebook down, if it turned up in his hands. "You're here right on time. Sanada-kun was going to explain us why the Captain hasn't choose him to play today".

"I definitely was not", Sanada replied, bluntly.

The pale smile of Yanagi's lips let Yukimura's know that that wasn't the first scene of the day, between those two.

"Just because I haven't convinced you yet", she scribbled something else, then turned the page. "Just give me some time".

Sanada grunted.

The play seemed ready to start on the court down below.

"Niou's gonna play", Yukimura muttered, under of his breath.

"In Singles 3", Matsui nodded. "He's been practicing with Hongo-san all week. I guess that's his reward".

"I don't think that's the reason why the Captain chose him", Yanagi said, calmly.

Niou Masaharu. Yukimura had always had clear, since his second year, when Niou had started to build a name for himself in the practice matches, that he would need to watch his back when it concerned him.

As it often happened, time proved him right. Yukimura recalled how he had felt, just some days ago, when Niou had challenged Morimura in the ranking matches. Threatened, probably. Now he felt more… driven, maybe?

He saw him down there, ready to play. He wanted to be there too. He wanted to earn his right to be there.

"The Captain surely has plans", Matsui sighed. "Too bad he doesn't tell me anything about them". She turned to look at Yanagi. "He told me I can't trust you, you've got a big mouth, can you believe it?", she sighed.

"I can't really see why he would say such thing", Yanagi replied.

Yukimura could clearly see Sanada stretch his lips so much his own mouth disappeared.

She glanced at Yanagi. "Oh, you're making fun of me, you too", she sighed again. "Whatever. You know that's your fault, Yukimura-kun? It's because I talked with Atobe, all of this".

"I don't recall to having asked you anything, Matsui-san", he replied.

"And that's your thank you, I guess". She smoothed the pages of her notebook. "Whatever. I'll wait to get the right recognition after I'm dead. Like Picasso".

"I think you're meaning Van Gogh".

"What's about Atobe?", Sanada asked.

Yukimura glanced at Yanagi.

Him and Sanada didn't talk about tennis. Ever. It was like an unspoken rule between them, as if they believed that mentioning it could shatter the balance they've found in their relationship, once again. It wasn't anything from Yukimura's side, or at least he didn't feel so. But it felt like an issue for Sanada, and Yukimura didn't even want to ask questions about that. Nevertheless, he thought that for Yanagi it wasn't the same.

Strange enough, it looked like it was - not talking about tennis, of course. But talking about Yukimura related to tennis.

"Oh, didn't you know, Sanada-kun?", Matsui said. "Okay, listen. I-"

"Matsui". Yanagi's voice was calm, yet firm.

She blinked. She moved his gaze from Sanada, to Yanagi, and back to Sanada.

"Right", she muttered. She focused back on his notebook. "Big mouth. Shut up". She shook her head. "I better go", she added. "The game is about to start".

She closed the notebook, and and jumped down the bleachers, running towards the players gathered behind the Captain's bench.

Yukimura felt a little bad for her, but he couldn't blame Yanagi. This had nothing to do with her.

"Genichirou", Yanagi said.

"You've heard her", Sanada said. "The matches are about to start".

Yukimura bit his lip. He said nothing. He could feel Sanada's disappointment, like mist through the air.

Yanagi slowly turned to look at him. He said nothing as well, but Yukimura knew him well enough to read the implicit question in his eyes.

Why didn't he tell anything to Sanada?

Right, Yukimura thought, why?

He could not honestly say he'd never thought about that. He did, multiple times, when they met for lunch break, while he headed to school alone, in the morning; that day, after the matches against Hyoutei.

He wanted to do that, too. He'd always talk with Sanada, whenever there was something bothering him, since they were children. He'd always thought he was one of the few persons he could freely talk to.

And still.

"Before getting offended", he said, out loud, "you should ask yourself why".

Sanada's frown darkened. His eyes didn't part from the court, down below. He didn't reply.

"Because I'm quite tired of being judged for everything I do".

This time, Sanada turned to look at him. "If you don't want to be judged", he said, "try not to behave like a child".

So that was it, Yukimura thought. It was all down to that, wasn't it.

"So you're gonna hold a grudge to me forever, because you think I'm childish?", he said. "Sound very mature to me".

Sanada didn't reply.

"I'm tired of feeling the need to explain myself to you, Sanada".

"I've never asked you to", he replied.

"You always do". Yukimura was tired of this. Tired of feeling in defect, tired of being scared to meet his friend's look of reproach. He didn't feel like he deserved it. "If I admit that I was wrong, would to stop to look at me like I've just spat on your ancestors' graves?"

Sanada slowly turned to look at him. "I do not…"

Yukimura snorted.

"If I can say something", Yanagi added, slowly, "if Seiichi hadn't spoke to you it's not because he doesn't value your opinion, Genichirou. On the contrary, he values it too much".

Yukimura frowned. Sanada didn't reply.

"And if Genichirou is so severe about it", Yanagi added, "it's because he values you too much".

This shut Yukimura up.

Sanada turned. "That's not…"

"That's it", Yanagi said, "you've looked up to him for so long, that you just can't accept he's not living up to your expectations".

He turned to look at Yukimura. "And you, you're scared to talk with him, because you can't stand to not live up to his expectations. That's all I'm going to say on that matter". He looked right in front of him, towards the court. "You may want to think it over".

Yukimura bit his tongue. He said nothing.

"Can I ask you a single thing?" Sanada turned to face him. "Are you feeling well?"

Yukimura frowned. "Why are you asking?"

"Why aren't you answering?"

There was concern in Sanada's voice. Something he hadn't heard in a very long time.

Yukimura took a deep breath. "If you're worrying about my health", he replied, "I can assure you everything's alright".

"Fine", Sanada said. "Then why are you acting like you're running out of time?"

Yukimura froze. Yanagi slowly turned to look at him, but said nothing.

"I've noticed it last year". Sanada fixed his cap, and turned towards the courts again. "How you chose to play in the Nationals, even if you were nowhere ready to-"

"So it's my fault we lost", he cut it short.

No-one had blamed him for that loss. No-one. But he guessed Sanada had been waiting for months just to tell him-

"That's not what I meant", Sanada hissed through his teeth. "I was saying, but that time I understood it. I would've done the same, if I were in your shoes. It was just the right thing to do. For the team, too. For everyone".

"So", Yukimura didn't want to recall that match, really, "why are you telling me that, now?"

"Because it did not stop there". Sanada turned to look at him again. "I thought it would change after the Nationals. I thought that things would return as they'd been before. But they did not. And when we came here, you…", he shook his head. "I don't know who you are anymore".

"Seiichi is going to ask to be readmitted in the club", Yanagi said. "If you didn't already guess that".

"I cannot guess what he's going to do", Sanada said. "Not anymore".

Yukimura closed his eyes.

"I'll have you know, Sanada", he said, "that people change". Two words. Things change. "Even if you're the only one not doing so".

That seemed to hit him. His gaze darkened, he clenched his jaw.

"Seiichi". Yanagi's warning was gentle, but a warning still.

"Maybe you can't just accept I'm not the person you thought I was", Yukimura reprised, "and live with it".

"Fine". Sanada's expression didn't ease. "But I do not know if I can appreciate the person you are now".

"Then I'll live with it", Yukimura replied. His voice was calm, as if Sanada's answer didn't harm him. At all. "I can't apologize to you for not being the person you want me to be".

"That's not it", Sanada said.

"It isn't?", Yukimura asked.

Sanada didn't reply. He probably didn't realize it yet. Yukimura himself did not, not completely, before Yanagi's words.

Well. There seem to be many, many things he didn't fully realize.

He took a deep breath. "Do you really think I'm…", he hesitated. "That I'm acting like I'm running out of time?"

For a long moment, he thought Sanada would not answer.

"You are", he said, eventually. "And you don't even realize it. It's like watching you during the days after your surgery, over and over. I didn't fully realize it too, before the tie-break matches, last month".

"You never acted like that before. You never needed to show off like that. It was like you thought if you didn't play all your cards at once, you'll never have the chance to do so".

Yukimura closed his eyes again. His mind wandered back to that day, and the day before - the day he decided to challenge Morimura. He clearly recalled what was in his mind back then. He didn't challenge him to take his place, or to sort out who was the stronger one between the two. He challenged him just because he wanted to challenge him, as the Captain of the entire club. Only as he was leaving the court, after his loss, he had realized that he didn't take into account that he could lose.

He knew there was nothing to be ashamed of. He knew that he should've been happy instead, fired up by the fact that in that club there were people stronger than him, to look up to. It had been like that, when he was a kid. It had always been like that.

Instead, he had felt like someone put an unbearable weight on his chest. He was alone, in front of a wall too high for him to climb, so tall he couldn't even see the sky over it.

He felt the need to declare who he was, to scream his name in that club. He didn't even asked himself why; as that day, he couldn't give himself an answer. Probably Sanada just did.

Maybe he was right. Maybe he was really rushing ahead, thinking it all would be over if he didn't obtain everything right off the bat.

And maybe it had been the reason why, when everything crumbled beneath his feet, that he had felt relieved, like he hadn't been in a long, long time.

He had jumped down from a train that was traveling at full speed, and he had no idea of where it was bringing him. He felt like he could breathe, again.

"You know", he told Sanada, "I think you're right".

"Your body is now fully healed", Yanagi said, slowly, after Sanada didn't reply. "But maybe your spirit still needs some time". He gave Yukimura a pale smile. "I wish I had been able to understand this earlier".

Yukimura shook his head. It wasn't Yanagi's place to do so. Nor Sanada's. It was all up to him. He wasn't proud of the things he'd said, of the things he'd done. But he could learn from them. As he had always done before.

He looked at his hands, stretched his fingers. He had feared for so long not to be able to play tennis again, that he didn't realize that fear never really left him. He stayed with him, when he stepped on the court again, when he lost at the Nationals, when he entered a new club, with no idea of what the future was bringing to him.

Maybe he had let that fear win, for real. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

I'm playing tennis. I'll be playing tennis. And he wanted to play there, where his friends were. He really wanted it. Maybe this fall. Maybe next year. The idea wasn't appealing, but it was a promise. It was a goal. It was something to look for.

"You said you're going to ask to be admitted back", Sanada said, after a while.

Yukimura nodded.

"And what, if I may ask, does Atobe have to do with that?"

Yanagi giggled.

"Oh, you'd love to hear that, Genichirou".

Yukimura doubted that. He tried his best to focus on the matches, down below. The team has entered the court, ready to play. And he wanted to watch that.


Hello there!

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

In these challenging times, returning to Tenipuri universe had been really a comfort zone to me, and this story in particular is really my very own comfort zone, I love writing these characters - canonical and OCs - and I love when they surprise me, when they grow up underneath my fingers, with me not even fully realizing it too. And when your brain connect the dots for you, that's one of the best feelings ever.

Let me know what you think if you like to.

Stay safe everyone.

Lots of love,

Fanny

The Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi

The road is long, we carry on [Lana del Rey, Born to Die]