NOTES: I said in the previous chapter that part 6 was the LAST. I'm saying now that part 7 is the ABSOLUTE last.
Sorry for the fickleness. Ending a long fic is HARD. I never knew it before now ^^
Special thanks to girltypefuuma, midorinomizu, and tongari on LJ, if they can read this. Keep up the great work spreading the Rikkai love ;)
-- MorphailEffect
VI. Day's Ending
Kuwahara Jackal never thought the day would come when he would actually enjoy being in the company of all the other regulars. Usually he liked hanging out with just Marui, Yagyuu and Niou...Yanagi was okay, too, he was nice if a bit weird...and he had no choice but to babysit Kirihara, but as long as he wasn't in "fight" mode, Kirihara was all right...
Having everyone together like this, including Sanada and Yukimura, should have felt like a tennis club practice session...actually it did, when Sanada's greeting turned out to be a reprimand about missing wristbands, and he and Kirihara tensed up, waiting to be dealt their punishment...
But the discomfort rapidly dispersed. If there was a hierarchy effective among them that day, it was buried underneath the noise and the festive air, which grew more prominent as the afternoon drew on.
"Anou...Yukimura-buchou..."
"What is it, Jackal?"
"I was wondering...why do you need to be in a wheelchair? Can't you walk yet?"
Worried, without saying, that he wouldn't be able to walk again for a while.
"I can walk. It's just that my muscles are weak, and I've been having some problems with nausea. The doctors don't recommend I stress myself."
"Is it the medicine?"
Yukimura nodded. "It's temporary. The intensive treatments have stopped, so once I've adjusted, my reflexes should be fine again."
The answer was uplifting. "Enough to play tennis?"
"...Yes. Enough for that."
Kuwahara was about to ask more, but the next band started to play, and Marui groaned:
"Oh no. Not another Yellow Monkey clone."
Kuwahara looked out at the new band playing a rather catchy beat onstage, and frowned.
"Yerou mankii...?" Kirihara mumbled at ground level. He had lain down flat on his stomach, terribly bored.
"Something that isn't Thee Michelle Gun Elephant."
"...I know what the Yerou Mankii is. Are you making fun of me?"
Kuwahara stole Marui out from under Kirihara's kill-hunger. "What are you talking about? Listen to that, will you? That's more like B'z, than anything..."
"Duh. Can't you hear those extra effects? You don't know your Yellow Monkey from your ass."
"What?! Why you little -- "
"Kuwahara-kun. Marui-kun. Please," Yagyuu interrupted.
"Kids and sick captain present," Niou finished, gesturing to the boy on the ground, then to the boy in the wheelchair. Rikkai's trickster sat sprawled beside Yanagi, who sat near Yukimura, calmly enjoying his oolong tea.
"What?" Yukimura said innocently to Niou. "Let them continue. I'd love to see them kill each other over the Yellow Monkey."
"I see your sadism is returning," Yanagi cheerfully pointed out. "You'll be out of that wheelchair in no time."
Yukimura chuckled. "Where's my whip? I think I'll be needing it soon..."
By this time Marui and Kuwahara were deeply engaged in a multilayered debate concerning basslines, synthesizers, and each other's mothers.
"Fukubuchou~, Buchou wants his whip back~," Niou singsang. Yagyuu barely stifled a sudden snicker at this, and as a result it came out as a brief series of snorts.
Very calmly, Sanada announced, "When school starts, you're all doing laps."
**************************
Kirihara Akaya started to yawn.
Sure the music was okay, but Jackal-sempai fangirling over every new band was getting old. Even with Marui-sempai there to start vaguely amusing fights over which band was better and why, making little popping and clicking sounds with his gum mid-sentence.
If going to concerts like this was what "cool" meant, he was willing to be among the "uncool" crowd, as long as it allowed him to kick ass.
Sometimes he wished he had more friends among others of his year level, so he could get to do more things with more people. But seriously...the only people in school who seemed to be able to stand him were the Rikkai tennis team regulars.
All upperclassmen, unfortunately. Most of whom wouldn't let him forget the difference in age.
Besides, the things that other kids his age did seemed even more boring. The Rikkai regulars were all right. He could pick fights with Marui-sempai and Jackal-sempai if he got way too bored, and it would be just like tussling with older brothers -- except he got laps and cleaning duty for it afterwards. They were worth it, really...
Sometimes, too, Niou-sempai let him in on some of his newest tricks. Which was always fun.
Not for the first time, Kirihara wondered what life in the tennis club would be like without them.
He rolled over on his stomach and glanced up at them all, five holding a rather tame discussion among themselves at the background, and two this close to getting into a fistfight up front. And Kirihara felt a rush of sadness that was never welcome.
These old fogeys all took care of him, kept him in a leash, kept him from killing himself with his own mischief, tried their best to instill a winner's discipline in him. They'd probably stolen one of the best years of his young life, yeah...but who was to say he wouldn't have wasted that year if he were left on his own, anyway?
What would be left of the Rikkai team if they were gone?
...
He didn't want to think about it. If there was anything else he learned from these boring guys, it was not to sweat the small stuff.
He focused on thinking how it was great to see Yukimura-sempai again. Even if he wasn't going to say it outloud.
It didn't hurt that the new band had started to play something more ballad-ish. It helped calm him down.
If the day ended now, it would actually have been a bit fun.
Sleep...sleep was good...
**************************
Marui Bunta started snubbing Kuwahara a few bands later. It seemed they never agreed on liking any one band, and while the argumentation itself was fun, he shouldn't draw it on to a friendly scuffle. He was still going home for Christmas eve dinner and he needed his face intact.
He knew he and his jovial, dark-skinned friend provided even more amusement to their companions than what was going on onstage, but he really couldn't help himself... Having two younger brothers who played their new CDs on full blast every other hour gave him the responsibility to instill a finer sense of musical appreciation in his peers, dammit.
But the skies darkened too soon. And he became steadily listless. He approached Yagyuu, sat beside him, and elbowed him into paying attention. "It's almost 6 PM," he announced. "I should be taking my brothers home."
Yagyuu got his thoughts together quickly and reached into his pocket for his cell phone.
While watching Marui and Yagyuu, Yanagi remarked: "This is the last day of the year when we could all get together, isn't it?"
"Yeah..." Kuwahara supplied. "Next time will be when school starts, after the winter break."
"And then we can get right back to being sick of each other's faces," Niou added gravely.
Yagyuu finished speaking into the phone. He handed it over to Marui, whose spicy greeting was, as could be expected, "Yo, brat! ...Oh, sorry Sonomi-chan. Could you put the brat on?"
"Hmm. I should be heading back soon too," Jackal started musing aloud, while Marui chattered away. "Mother's going to throw a fit if I'm not back in time for Christmas Eve dinner. Not that I'm looking forward to it..."
"Someone has to take Akaya home," Sanada pointed out, glancing over at the younger boy flat on his stomach on the ground, snoring softly.
There was a moment of silence. Then all of them, except Marui, turned to Kuwahara.
"What?! No way!!"
Niou grinned. "Thanks, Jackal. You're a noble guy. Make sure to send our regards to his older sister, 'kay?"
"But I just said I had to be home...!"
"You and he are almost neighbors. I'm sure it won't be too out of the way." Yanagi wore the smile of a saint. While Kuwahara sputtered out a sad little protest, Yanagi proceeded to ignore him and stood, brushing dirt and grass from his clothing. He turned to Sanada. "I think I should be going, too."
"Aah," Sanada acknowledged. "This really isn't your kind of music, is it?"
Yanagi's face became expressionless now. "Genichirou...I'd like you to walk with me out of the park. If it's all right."
Sensing the urgency in this request, Sanada frowned. He glanced down at Yukimura...but it didn't seem as if Yukimura heard what Yanagi said. Or cared. He kept on watching the band at the stage, hands peacefully folded on his lap.
Sanada looked instead to Niou and Yagyuu.
"I'll stay here," Yagyuu volunteered, nodding. "Don't worry about Yukimura."
"I'll stay here too." Niou scratched his nose. "Gotta make sure Yagyuu stays out of trouble."
Reluctantly, Sanada stepped away from the wheelchair. Yukimura leaned over to say something briefly to Yagyuu, and Sanada relaxed as if he had been cordially dismissed.
"So everyone...we'll be seeing each other then," Yanagi said to the rest.
"Have a good break," Yukimura answered without turning. Yanagi laid a hand on Sanada's shoulder, and the pair walked off.
Meanwhile Kuwahara looked down at Kirihara, whose snoring had taken on new heights. He prodded the younger boy's ribs with the tip of his shoe. When that provoked no response, he kicked Kirihara on the side gently. With a less-than-peaceful snort, Kirihara came awake.
"!! What? Huh? Where am I?"
"The stadium's burning down. People are running all over the place," Kuwahara all but yelled down at him. "Get on your feet or you'll catch fire."
"Huh? Fire?" Kirihara mumbled sleepily. His eyes were closing again. "They're still playing while the stage is on fire? Hey that's cooolll..."
And the snoring returned with a vengeance.
Grumbling, Kuwahara picked up Kirihara by one arm, which he slung over his shoulder. Kirihara blinked awake again, and got on his feet, but wasn't able to form a single word beyond the standard mumble.
"-- Right. Just go there and stay there, I'm on my way." Finally, Marui handed the phone back to Yagyuu, who calmly shut it off and slid it back into his pocket. Marui stood, stretched.
"Well -- ! Time to get going. It's been a blast, but it would've been even more fun if one of us knew the Yellow Monkey from his ass!"
"Hey!" came the feeble protest from the boy struggling to keep dead weight upright.
Marui popped a bubble at Kuwahara. To the rest, he said a simple, cheerful farewell. He knocked his fist against Niou's as he walked past, then he stepped over to Yukimura to do the same, before dashing off to where he was meeting his brothers.
"Great to see you about, Buchou," Kuwahara said to the boy in the wheelchair, smiling brilliantly. "We'll be seeing you next year, right?"
Yukimura answered with a thoughtful nod.
"Throw him off the next bridge!" Niou called after Kuwahara and Akaya, who limped along groggily.
"Meant to!" Kuwahara cried back, earning him a hearty whack on the side of the head from his half-awake charge.
"Well, he's finally here," Yajiro said snidely as his older brother Bunta approached him and his two younger companions -- Hijiri and one of the girls Marui vaguely remembered from Sonomi's group. Who was it again, the cute one -- oh, Ruri-chan. Right. "You guys kept me waiting for almost an hour!"
"An hour?!" Marui exclaimed. "It just turned 6! Why'd you stay here for an hour?"
But Yajiro's disappointment was made clear enough by his pout. His arms were crossed on his chest. "My friends were a no-show. They're gonna get it when I see them again."
"Yajiro-san shouldn't be sad," Ruri-chan was saying, in her upbeat, cheerful way. "There are other times to meet up with friends, ne?"
Yajiro threw an amused grin over at her, then over at Hijiri, who was busily hiding his blushing face. Marui regarded the sunny girl with a grin similar to Yajiro's. "Ne, Ruri-chan. Are you going home with us?"
"Nope!" she piped up, blissfully clueless. "I'm going back to Sonomi-chan and A-chan. Hiroshi-san's going to take us all home! I just wanted to make sure Hijiri-kun got here okay."
Marui's grin grew wider. "Heh. Well, thanks for taking care of him, then. We have to go ahead now."
Ruri-chan turned to leave. "It was nice meeting you Bunta-san, Yajiro-san. Bye, Hijiri-kun!"
Marui and Yajiro waved back as she disappeared back into the distant crowd. Then Marui proceeded to lead the way out of the park. The three boys each assumed a relaxed slouch while walking...in their individual ways slightly drained by the events of the day.
A note of resentment rang in Hijiri's voice as he mumbled, "She sure likes that Hiroshi-san..."
Marui popped a well-placed bubble. "So Hijiri...how was your date?"
"Hmm...was all right..." Shot daggers at his brother. "And it wasn't a date."
"Not a date, sure," Yajiro snorted, rolling his eyes. "At least Bunta-niisan got to meet up with his friends. How was it, Niisan? Was it fun?"
Marui was about to answer off the top of his head, but he stopped. A wistful smile touched his lips in that brief pause.
"...Yeah. It was fun."
**************************
Sanada Genichirou asked when they were far enough away from the other boys, and the noise of the bands onstage were beginning to fade: "You want to talk?"
Yanagi slowed to a stop. As he did, he said to the boy who still walked a little ahead: "Are you trying to accomplish something by acting like this?"
Sanada turned and faced him squarely -- first looking mildly surprised, then affronted.
"'Like this'? What are you talking about?"
"This sort of attitude works with healthy subordinate players. Not your sick captain."
There was no spite in Yanagi's voice, no poison. His words stung, but Sanada knew his teammate only used this tone when he was out to make someone else see reason.
"...And certainly not your sick friend, Genichirou."
Sanada pulled himself up. Glowered for a second like he had just been dealt an undeserved blow. But in the end he turned his face away, hid his eyes behind the downturned visor of the dark cap he always wore.
"I know where you're going," he replied quietly. "But I can't be easy on him. I can't be easy on anyone. We all need to fight harder...especially him."
All of a sudden, knowing that he had the upper hand, perhaps, Yanagi sounded kinder. "He's been fighting as hard as he could, Genichirou. Don't you remember?"
The first thing that would occur to one who met Yukimura as a first-year student at Rikkai university's middle school, was that he looked lonely.
The slim long-haired boy walked through life with a touch of dreamy aloofness; hours and days passed him by as if he didn't even know they existed. As if he didn't have the energy to spare for most ordinary things, like picking up a fallen textbook, or saying hello to a new friend.
The only time he became energized was when he played tennis -- and only when he was challenged to play at his full capacity.
The first-year members of the Rikkai tennis club were already encouraged to play seriously among themselves. First-years trained with first-years, it was rare that they were allowed to "interfere" with their upperclassmen's rigorous training. Freshmen submitting suggestions for the improvement of the regulars' training regimen was, of course, unheard-of.
Sanada was the one who played Yukimura first. He could still remember the first time he saw light in Yukimura's eyes, life on his pale 13-year-old face. It made him look like an angel, and heads turned to watch him play.
Sanada lost to the angel, and demanded a rematch (of course), which the angel was only too glad to provide. During the rematch, the angel lost. But he was out of breath toward the end of the match, and could barely finish the last set. Sanada didn't consider it a fair game and invalidated the results.
The tennis prodigy Yukimura Seiichi had been harboring an illness since he was small. It was something he hid because he would never have been able to play tennis, otherwise. And playing tennis was the only thing he enjoyed.
He must never exert himself for long periods of time, otherwise his body suffered an imbalance that would go on for days. And somehow he managed to hide what this imbalance did to him. He simply made it a point to apply any sort of play -- power or speed -- that would end his matches in record time, and before his ailment could rise to the surface.
He also wore his hair long so that no one would see if he needed the pain hidden.
Sanada soon realized that of all the members of the Rikkai middle school tennis club, Yukimura had the most command over his body. He was ill, but he had managed to keep from getting confined in a hospital since he was a little boy. Sanada respected this, admired the strength that came with it. But Yukimura's body was growing too, and it was getting harder to stay in control...
Yukimura refused to sign up for the junior selection training camp next year without giving an explanation. Even when confronted, he would only give roundabout answers, like "resting for health reasons" -- no details of any sort.
The suspicious, slightly irked Sanada took it upon himself to arrange a private talk with one of Yukimura's closer cousins, who was a college student in Rikkai. In his stoic way, he argued with this cousin that he needed to know the exact state of Yukimura's health, as a fellow member of Rikkai's tennis club.
At last this cousin relented, told him the nature of Yukimura's illness, the treatments he was going to undergo that fall. Sanada was also told that the illness threatened to progress into something much, much worse.
And he was told all this as Yukimura's friend. Who needed to know, even if Yukimura had not wanted him told.
Their seniors knew nothing about his illness. Yukimura was named captain before the start of the winter break during their junior year. Sanada wanted to dispute this decision, but Yanagi convinced him to stay his hand.
"He worked hard for the captainship, Genichirou. You can't take this away from him. If he can't handle it, he'll bow out... you'll have to trust that he will.
"Besides," Yanagi assured him, "he'll have an easier time with the two of us supporting him, than with him supporting either of us."
There were many things he had not told Yanagi.
But words never came easy to Sanada Genichirou where his personal feelings were concerned.
Sanada wasn't angry with Yukimura. Or upset about anything. It wasn't that there was nothing he needed to explain.
He just didn't know what to say.
Sanada still would not meet Yanagi's eyes. He was vaguely aware that he had done this with Yukimura, and now he was doing it with his other best friend. But he wasn't about to recoil. He folded his arms across his chest stubbornly.
"He mustn't hold us back, Renji. You were there. He made that promise to you, too."
Yanagi was unmoved by this. Perhaps he was even calculating the results of this short discussion, as he would do in a shougi game. He countered each of Sanada's moves coolly.
"We mustn't hold him back, either. This isn't the way to help him get better."
His words came with pure logic, the power of which Sanada only disputed when it got in his way. This time, it wasn't getting in his way...it was trying to make him see where he was going. Why was he resisting in the first place?
"Genichirou..."
Sanada looked up at the sound of his name. When Sanada caught his eye, finally, Yanagi showed a smile so slight it almost didn't exist.
"No matter what happens, I'm still with you."
(to be concluded. again.)