NOTES: Quick ref: "haafu", AFAIK, is a colloquial Nihongo version of the English term "half-breed." It simply describes multiracial affiliation, and is generally not meant to be derogatory. Sometimes it's also used as an insult, but not in this fic.

After I finish posting all the parts of this story, I'll be going back to my other work in progress, "Harder to Breathe."

Apologies and thanks go to the ones who've been kept waiting. I haven't forgotten :)

-- MorphailEffect



IV. Extrications, Integrations

It was okay to leave Hijiri with Yagyuu, wasn't it? Yagyuu wouldn't lose his brother or anything, would he?

Of course it was okay. What could go wrong?

He made his way to the stadium. He figured that by now, Yajiro had found his friends, and was standing very still somewhere, where his older brother could spot him easily.

He ended up almost bumping into Yajiro, who had been striding around, eyes everywhere except on the road ahead.

"Hey!" Marui called, gripping the boy's shoulders. "Look where you're going, you're going to hurt someone!" He looked over Yajiro's shoulder at...nobody. "You haven't found your friends yet?"

"No," the boy replied emphatically. "I don't get it. They said they were going to be here!"

"Well, there are a lot of people here. Maybe you just haven't spotted them yet. Want me to help you?"

"No, I just need more time to look. Where's Hijiri?"

Marui scratched his head. "Um...I left him with a friend of mine while I went off to look for you. He'll be alright. I'll be back for him in no time."

Yajiro shot him an incredulous look. "Kaasan and Tousan are gonna kill you."

"I know!" Marui answered, panicked. "You don't have to tell on me, do you??"

Having successfully put one on his brother, Yajiro answered with a self-satisfied smirk. "Hey, I bumped into some friends of yours. They said you might want to join them."

Marui's brow furrowed. "Eh? Friends?"

"I didn't get their names...but one was really tall and had dark skin. Like a haafu. And one had wriggly black hair, like Michael Jackson..."

Even as Yajiro was speaking, Marui was coming up with the right names in his head. Were those two there for the concert?

"...and there was this strange oniisan who never opened his eyes once!"

"Yanagi?! What's he doing here, too?" There must be something important afoot. Marui recalled with some dread that Yukimura's hospital was somewhere in the area. Could it be...

"He said you might want to join them. They're over there." Yajiro pointed to a spot far from the stage. Marui thought he could already spot Kuwahara's bald pate from that distance.

"Alright, probably later...I have to make sure Hijiri's okay first." He looked at Yajiro again. "Listen. I promised Kaasan I'd get you guys home before 7. So even if this concert isn't done yet, when 6 o'clock rolls around, you come back here and wait for me, okay?"

"What, 6?!" Yajiro looked grievously offended. "That's too early! I haven't even found my friends yet!

"Yeah well tough, I'm not getting in trouble just because of you two." He turned to leave. "Remember, 6 SHARP, okay?"

He was about to stride off, when he heard Yajiro step up and call out for him to wait.

When he looked back, Yajiro was standing there with his hands in his pockets... eyes shifting, as if he was about to say something embarrassing.

"Bunta-niisan...is really something..."

What was Marui to say to that, except "Huh?!"

Yajiro rubbed the back of his neck uneasily.

"Just seems like you have a lot of friends...people who know you're strong. I mean..." He straightened up and faced Marui squarely. "I think I get it a little why Kaasan and Tousan are so proud of you."

Yajiro might not have intended what he said to affect his brother so strongly. But it made Marui fall still. It had been too long a time since something he heard generated so many conflicting emotions inside him...

It was a hell of a way to realize, all in a rush, how uncomplicated his life in the Rikkai tennis team had been. All he'd ever had to do was win.

How was he to know that winning took him away from other important things?

He wanted to walk back to Yajiro and do something...like pat him on the shoulder or lay a hand on his hair.

But he also felt, for some strange reason, that he didn't deserve to do something that familiar.

So he just turned.

"...6 sharp, Yajiro."

And strode off to find his youngest brother.

**********************

Niou took a deep breath before saying:

"Kaachan, Touchan, Keiko-neechan, Brat, this is Yagyuu Hiroshi, the one I've been telling you about. We play doubles on the team."

"Glad to finally meet you Yagyuu-kun!" Niou's dad greeted cheerily. He was a tall, slim man with a tendency to speak at the top of his voice, as if he was always laughing out loud. "You know, Masa-kun's told us so many things about you!"

"Is that so?" Yagyuu chuckled shyly. "Well, good things, I hope..."

"Yeah, like how playing doubles on the Rikkai team is boring."

"Shut up, will you!" Niou's older sister Keiko snapped at Norimasa. "Can't you even TRY not to be hateful, even to strangers?"

"But he's not a stranger," Norimasa sniveled, a parody of innocence. "He's Masa-nii's doubles partner. He's literally family."

"I agree!" Niou's mother piped up. She was actually quite lovely...in a petite, prim, office worker kind of way. She was firmly attached to Niou's father's arm, a dreamy "all is well with the world" look on her face. Yagyuu noted that Niou had her eyes. "We know so much about you, you're almost one of us, Yagyuu-kun! You're very welcome to join us, in fact. We're planning to explore every square inch of this park before the day is out!"

Both Niou and Yagyuu had to blanch at that. EVERY SQUARE INCH of the park?

Niou cleared his throat. "Yeah. Um, Kaachan...I brought him here to ask if I could hang out with him for a while. I'll go home on my own later."

"What are you talking about? He's hanging out with us!"

Yagyuu made appropriate little gestures of embarrassment. "Etto...I'm afraid..."

"Now Yagyuu-kun, there's no need to be shy! After all, we won't take no for an answer!" the tall adult's friendliness suddenly became ominous.

"We'll have so much fun!" Niou's mother said, clapping heartily. "But we have to cover a lot of ground right away because we have to be home early! Your father's cooking..."

"HUH?!" All three children said at once. Yagyuu presumed their father's cooking couldn't possibly be a good thing.

"Yes! It's a special occasion, so your father gets to cook!"

"Can't we pretend we're a normal family and just eat out?"

"And that means what, boy? Are you saying I can't cook?!"

"In the meantime, Yagyuu-kun can tell us more about himself!"

"Yeah, like where you live! Your favorite dish! What your parents would want for Christmas!"

"Do you even have parents...?"

"That's right! You're not going home without a present for your parents! We meet Masa-kun's friends so rarely..."

"...your father's yearly income...your grade point average..."

Yagyuu kept up a courteous smile. Inside, he was twitching.

"Oh, we can stop by old Kitajou's, we'll surely find a nice gift there!"

"...your birthdate...your blood type..."

"Does anyone in your family like magic tricks?"

"Maa ne, let's not fuss over Yagyuu-kun! We might embarrass him!"

While this charming, hyper family bickered lovingly among themselves about how best to deal with their new acquaintance, Yagyuu and Niou stood off to one side, staring dumbly at the proceedings.

Finally, they looked at each other. Niou wore what was clearly a mask of determination.

"Yagyuu..."

"Niou-kun..."

"Let's do it."

"What? Now?"

"What better time?"

"But -- not in front of your family!"

"Oh they won't be surprised, believe me."

"It'll be embarrassing..."

"The fun is worth the risk!"

"But what will they think afterwards? Of me? Of us?"

"I don't know! I don't care! Anything to get away from this!"

Niou's left hand reached into his pocket. And before his family could be distracted from their "discussion" --

"PURII~"

There was smoke. Lots of it.

And when it cleared, several seconds later, Niou Masaharu and Yagyuu Hiroshi were nowhere in sight.

Niou's family stood blinking, speechless, during the short time it took them to comprehend the situation.

"Wa~h?! Where did they go??"

"Haaah, I knew I shouldn't have given him that new magician's kit for his birthday..."

"I think you scared Yagyuu-san when you invited him for dinner."

"Keiko-chan, your father's cooking isn't THAT bad."

"...should've saved it for Christmas instead..."

"Masa-kun had to break out the smokebombs. I call that an act of desperation."

"...oh, but smokebombs are so thirty years ago!"

"Maa! Masa-nii won't be bringing friends over to meet us anytime soon, I guess!"

"And he probably won't be bringing Yagyuu-san over for Christmas Eve dinner, either. What a shame..."



Several meters away, and out of sight of the Niou family, Yagyuu stood utterly composed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Good job getting us away, Niou-kun," he was saying to his companion, "But I must agree with what your father said. Smokebombs are a bit passe."

*******************

It may have been Yanagi's imagination, but Sanada seemed relieved at the sight of his friend approaching.

"On time, as expected." Yanagi turned his smile to the boy in the wheelchair. "How are you today, Yukimura?"

"Good." Yukimura's voice was weak. Yanagi could barely hear it over the loud bass sounds issuing from the stage. "Been showing improvements in the past few days, so my doctors said it was okay to let me go out."

"I'm glad to hear it. You could use some sunlight. You've been turning a little pale."

Yukimura chuckled at this. Sanada grunted.

Yanagi continued, "Let's go join the others. I came across Akaya and Jackal by accident a short while ago..."

"Ah, those two are here, too?"

"Yes, apparently for the concert."

Yanagi led the pair to where Kirihara and Kuwahara were standing. The two were genuinely surprised to see who was coming their way.

"Sanada! Yukimura-buchou!" Kuwahara greeted brightly.

"Where the hell are your wristbands?" Sanada snapped, making both of the younger players jump and pull themselves up stiffly.

"Uh...Sanada, it's the start of winter break, so I thought..."

"That's no excuse! Didn't I tell everyone to wear their power bands at all times?"

"I'm not wearing my power bands, either." Yanagi took his hands out of his coat pockets, held up his unrestrained wrists. "One day without them won't hurt."

Sanada didn't bother looking at Yanagi. He was busy administering the Glare of Doom to Kuwahara and Kirihara. He, of course, wore his black power bands, was the only one in the group who did so.

"...Fine, but start wearing them again tomorrow. It's 300 sit-ups for the next person I catch not wearing them after today." Sanada grudgingly dropped the Glare of Doom. The two younger players he had been grilling let out small sighs of relief.

All the same, Yukimura told them both, "You really shouldn't stop wearing them. I can't wait to put mine on again..."

Kirihara seemed excited. "Yukimura-sempai! When are you coming home from the hospital?"

"This Sunday...if all goes well."

"That's great, isn't it? You can spend the New Year at home!"

"Yeah...but the best thing is, I can go back to school and the tennis club right after the winter break."

"Is that all?" It was Sanada this time. For some reason, his voice was hard, uncompromising.

Yukimura paused. The smile on his face wavered.

"...I just...have to keep taking my medicine. And get plenty of rest..."

"Remember you're not immune to punishment if your play isn't up to par."

A subtly grim frown came upon Yukimura's lips.

"...Of course."

All throughout that brief exchange, Yukimura didn't turn to meet Sanada's gaze.

There was a moment of silence as the band left the stage, and another band came in to take their place.

"Good riddance," Kuwahara grunted. The restless audience who stood closer to the stage seemed to mirror his sentiments.

Kirihara was studying a piece of newsprint. "Jackal-sempai, who's this next band? Are they any good?"

Kirihara and his sempai conspired in their own little corner about the band lineup. Meanwhile Yanagi stepped up closer to Sanada.

"It would've been better for us if the stadium was empty, wouldn't it?" he said casually.

"Hmm," Sanada agreed. "Can't be helped. It's the start of the winter break, kids need to find ways to pass the time."

Yanagi observed his friend. Sanada's stance was less rigid, his face less stoic.

In the middle of a tournament, Sanada would be constantly on "leader" mode. On or off the courts, you had to watch yourself around him. He expected that you took the winner's mindset as seriously as he did, at least for the purpose of attaining your goal.

But now that the last national tournament was over, he had started to loosen up a bit. In fact, he let the no-wristband affair slide, when he wouldn't have done so at any other time. Yanagi would have figured that this was the best time for him to see Yukimura again. Especially considering that dealing with the sickness is sure to have made Rikkai's newly-appointed team captain more emotionally vulnerable.

Yet Sanada just went on that tough "leader" mode while speaking with Yukimura. Yanagi couldn't quite understand.

"Jackal," Yukimura called, "can I see that lineup? And tell me which bands are good. I don't know much about the new groups."

Yanagi stood off to one side and continued observing. Kirihara and Kuwahara crouched beside Yukimura, respectfully addressing the sick boy below his eye level. Sanada bent down to look at the flyer Yukimura was holding and listened to Kuwahara ticking off the list, but made no comment.

It couldn't be a sure thing from Yanagi's vantage point, but ...were those two having a fight?



(to be continued)