"I believe Yukimura-kun has a crush on you." Renji informed Sanada.
Sanada swung his shinai, completing his final practice kata. "Why?"
"How should I know?" Renji refrained from mentioning that Yukimura was probably crazy. "He is determined to get you to join the tennis team."
"I don't like tennis." Sanada began putting his equipment away.
Renji often wondered why he was friends with Sanada. The boy had the conversational skills of an ant. Still, he wasn't so bad. Once he got to know you, he loosened up a bit. Renji watched Sanada clean up a moment before saying, "Would you mind doing me a favor?"
Sanada paused in his actions. "What?"
"Would you mind giving the tennis club a shot, just to get Yukimura to calm down a little?" Renji was aware that asking this was akin to asking the emperor to perform a tap dance on national television while having fruit pies thrown at him.
Sanada didn't even pause to think about it. "No."
"Just for a day?" If Sanada didn't agree, Yukimura would just keep pestering the both of them.
Sanada paused, crossing his arms over his chest. "I will observe your tennis team on Monday. I will not play. That is all I am willing to give you." Sanada returned to cleaning up the dojo. He grabbed a cloth broom and handed it to Yanagi. "Sweep while I dust."
Renji spent the next hour making sure the wood floors of the dojo gleamed in the fading sunlight. "Thank you, Sanada."
A grunt was Sanada's only reply.
&-&
By the end of tennis practice, Sanada had to admit one thing: Yukimura was good. Yukimura went up against two second years in practice matches and destroyed them completely. It was impressive.
"Sanada-kun, you came!" Yukimura ran up, his hair bouncing despite the sweat drenching his headband." Sanada thought Yanagi might be over-reacting when he said Yukimura had a crush him. Yukimura wasn't acting any differently toward Sanada than toward any other club member.
"Renji asked me to observe the tennis team today." They began walking toward the clubhouse.
"What did you think?" Yukimura stopped and looked up at Sanada. He seemed genuinely interested in what Sanada had to say.
"Impressive, but the team lacks in overall stamina. You should heighten your running schedule. The first senpai you faced was out of breath halfway through the third game." Sanada frowned, trying to remember the other things that caught him during the matches. "You should hold your racket up a bit. You aren't maximizing your shoulder's rotation."
Yukimura took out his racket, first taking up a normal grip, then adjusting. "Like this?"
Sanada stepped forward and grabbed Yukimura's arm. "You're down too far." He moved the racquet. "Now swing your arm, pivoting from the waist." Sanada moved Yukimura's body for him once, then gestured for him to try it on his own.
Yukimura's racquet whistled through the air. "I see." Yukimura swung again. "It will take some getting used to, but I can see where this stance generates more power. Thank you, Sanada." Sanada shrugged. It was a basic kendo stance, nothing special. He told Yukimura so. "Oh no," Yukimura protested, still swinging, "it's wonderful."
"Yukimura-kun, buchou wants to speak with you," Renji called from the clubhouse.
Yukimura stowed his racquet and bowed to Sanada. "Thank you for your assistance. I appreciate it greatly. I hope you come to observe again soon, Sanada-kun."
Sanada watched Yukimura run to the clubhouse and wondered at the heat in his cheeks. It was probably the sun.
&-&
"Sanada-kun came to visit again today," Yukimura was smiling as he changed into his uniform, practice long over. Yanagi noted that the smile was decidedly wider than yesterday's, when Sanada accepted Yukimura's invitation to watch tennis practice for a third time.
"The kendo team regulars are away at competition so practices are light. I anticipate he will not be able to observe for much longer." That quickly dampened Yukimura's smile, which pleased Renji to a small degree. Renji was beginning to agree with a few members of the team; Yukimura was too happy, particularly of late. The boy was glowing, more often than not, for no apparent reason.
"I'm going to ask him to dinner again." Yukimura was talking to his reflection in his locker mirror. Renji ignored him.
It was somewhat sad to think that Sanada was only doing this because Renji had asked. By the end of the week, Sanada would be back to his kendo and Yukimura would get scary again. Renji preferred this sated Yukimura more – he was far more congenial and a far more aggressive and direct tennis player – but Yukimura's shift back into a quiet, sneaky tennis prodigy was inevitable.
&-&
Tennis wasn't so different from kendo, really. Instead of hitting a human, you hit a ball. The movements were, more or less, the same. Still, kendo was far more honorable and far cleaner. Tennis required sunburns and dust and that hideous uniform. The yellow junior high uniforms were disgusting. Why the red senior high uniforms couldn't be used was a mystery. The kendo team wore navy; nice, simple navy.
Sanada felt a tap on his shoulder. "Sanada-kun, would you like to come to dinner this evening?"
"I am studying with Renji this evening." Sanada was not adept at mathematics, geometry in particular. "I have an exam next week."
Yukimura looked to the geometry text Sanada held. "I'm fairly good at geometry. Would you like to study with me, instead?" Yukimura was taking Sanada's arm before he could reply, saying that he would much rather study with an expert tactician than a girly tennis player.
"Fine." Yukimura looked far too excited at the prospect of dinner for Sanada to disappoint him. It would only be this once, and Renji most likely knew that Sanada was going to be stolen away by Yukimura anyhow. Sanada would apologize in the morning.
"Good, my father is cooking this evening. He has a wonderful way with seasonings." Yukimura continued to chat about his father's cooking while Sanada tried to remove his arm from Yukimura's hold.
After a block, Sanada gave up and said, "Let go of my arm."
"I'm still not convinced you won't run away." Yukimura gave Sanada's arm a squeeze.
"People are staring." Indeed people were staring. They were staring and saying things that Sanada did not appreciate. Sanada did not look "cute," no matter what company he chose to keep. "Let go."
Yukimura sighed, but complied. The walk to Yukimura's house continued on in silence.
&-&
Renji's phone rang at eleven at night. He stared at the phone's caller ID and hesitantly answered the call. "Yes Yukimura-kun?"
"Do you think Sanada-kun would like to go to an amusement park with me this weekend?"
The urge to hang the phone up and go to bed was high, but Renji's future in the tennis club revolved around making Yukimura happy. Still, Renji wasn't about to lie. "No. He does not enjoy crowded places." Telling the truth could also be done without mentioning that Sanada was getting agitated at Yukimura's constant invitations.
"Oh." Yukimura sounded genuinely upset and, for a moment, Renji felt sorry for his forced friend. Unrequited crushes were never easy to deal with. "I'll see you tomorrow at practice, Yanagi-kun."
Renji sighed and dialed Sanada, who answered with an ever-eloquent, "What do you want? It's late."
"Sanada, would you be interested in joining the tennis club?" Renji knew the answer was going to be no, but if Sanada joined, even for a day, then Yukimura would be pleased, Yanagi would get to be a regular, and maybe Sanada would go on a date, which might dislodge the stick of thorns shoved up his nether regions.
"You disrupted my evening for that?" Sanada hung up.
Yanagi redialed. "I mean it, Sanada. Yukimura just called and asked if you would agree to go to an amusement park with him. The least you could do is give tennis a try for a day. It would help secure my position as a regular." Renji waited for Sanada to reply, but the other boy was silent. Fine. Renji was fully prepared to blackmail Sanada into submission. "You owe me, Sanada. You wouldn't have passed the Rikkai entrance exam without me."
"I've been going along with you to repay that debt. We are even, now."
"You do this for me and we're even. Join the club for one week. You can quit after that. The kendo team will understand a one week sabbatical." Sanada didn't need to practice kendo anyway, he was already the third best on the team. If freshmen were allowed to compete in the first tournament, Sanada would already be well known in the junior high circuit.
"One week. No longer. I will expect you to purchase the needed equipment." Sanada mumbled something, but the phone's reception garbled it.
"One week," Yanagi agreed. "Good night, Sanada, and thank you for your cooperation."
Sanada hung up.
&-&
Yukimura had one week to convince Sanada that tennis was better than kendo. He had one week to secure his future fukubuchou. Yanagi was singles three now; he didn't have the spine for fukubuchou-hood. Also, Sanada-kun was cute and would eventually be Yukimura's boyfriend. It would be a strain on their relationship if Yukimura didn't elect Sanada as fukubuchou.
"Yukimura-kun, it's your turn." Renji's whisper tugged Yukimura out of his daydream and back to the tennis court, where the captain was waiting to have an evaluation match. This match would determine whether Yukimura would be eligible to play in the small mock-tourney at the end of the month. The tourney would be Yukimura' tennis club debut. The next month's would be Sanada's if all went well.
Sanada was one court over, glaring at his racquet and making several senpai nervous. Hopefully he would look over while Yukimura played the captain. Yukimura would go at two-thirds strength, just to be impressive. Obara-buchou was difficult, but with training, Yukimura would reach his caliber soon.
"Yukimura-kun, you seem distracted today." Obara met Yukimura at the net and smiled, as he was wont to do.
"I am nervous for my friend. He just joined." Yukimura indicated Sanada with a nod of the head and a wave of hair.
Obara turned and regarded the neighboring court. "He's got good form and remarkable speed. Once he masters the basics, he'll be formidable." He turned back to Yukimura. "But, I doubt that's what's taking your attention away from the game. If you allow yourself to fall prey to distraction, you will lose. Which?"
The racquet spun and, with an eye on Sanada, Yukimura answered, "Rough."
&-&
Renji was ninety-eight percent certain that Yukimura was showing off for Sanada. While Yukimura didn't win the match against Obara-buchou (no one won against Obara-buchou), he gave the captain a few scares, which was more than enough to place Yukimura in the monthly exhibition tournament. Renji would be in the tournament as well, and was hoping he wouldn't have to play Yukimura, who seemed bent on showing Sanada that tennis could be just as tough and rewarding as kendo.
"Yanagi-kun, why don't you and Sanada-kun come over for dinner?" Yukimura bounded up, smiling.
"I have plans tonight," Renji lied. Being in a room with Yukimura while he tried to sway Sanada to tennis was not something to which Renji wanted to bear witness. Renji wanted to spend a nice evening at home, without Yukimura's schemes or Sanada's grumblings.
"Oh well, I'll see if Sanada-kun is free." Yukimura didn't sound sorry in the least.
&-&
The problem with Sanada, Yukimura decided, was that he was too serious. His stern countenance scared people away which, while it was a good tennis technique, was detrimental to social interactions. Sanada would have to lighten up if he was going to be successful as a fukubuchou. Still, Sanada did accept Yukimura's offer for dinner, so that was at least one step in the right direction.
"Sanada-kun, what are your interests?" Yukimura's mother asked. Yukimura's mother worked at a bakery down the street. She managed their accounts.
"I am currently on the kendo team. I plan to go to university for business and work for my father." Sanada bowed his head while he spoke, the epitome of reverent humility.
"What business is he in?" Yukimura's father asked before taking a great slurp of soup.
"He is a lawyer and a kendo master. He splits duties at the dojo with my grandfather. As soon as my skill is high enough, I will assist them." Sanada, too, took a great slurp, though even his slurping had a measure of formality.
"Sanada-kun is phenomenal at kendo." Yukimura sent a smile toward Sanada, who was observing his fish. "He helped me adjust my stance to get better power out of my swing." Yukimura frowned when he realized that no one was listening to him. Instead, they were watching Sanada attack his fish. The way Sanada used his chopsticks to cut bits of fish away in lightning fast movements was impressive. It took strength and control to have such dexterity. Sanada was amazing.
Yukimura's mother's eyes were slightly glazed in admiration. "Your movements are so quick, Sanada-kun. I'm sure you'll be assisting in the dojo shortly. Here, have some more." She piled another piece of fish on Sanada's plate. "You must keep your energy up." This was the same woman who, not a week ago, told Seiichi he would get fat if he continued to shovel wontons into his ramen.
"Thank you, I will heed your advice." Sanada bowed and watched the fish again. The occupants of the table stared in rapt fascination as Sanada raised his chopsticks and poised them over the fish. He took a deep breathe, held it, then lowered his chopsticks. "My apologies, my heart wishes to comply, but I am afraid my stomach is too full to allow it. Please forgive my rudeness."
Yukimura's mother leaned over to pat Sanada on the hand. "It's okay dear. Don't force yourself." She sent Yukimura a small smile and a wink while Sanada's head was still turned down.
Yukimura was very close with his mother. He told her everything, from his difficulties at school to his more recent dealings with Sanada. He'd never told her, outright, that he was interested in the boy, but she was neither dumb nor oblivious. And now, she was taunting him.
"You boys go upstairs and study. Mom and I will clean the table and call you when dessert is ready." Yukimura's father reached forward and took their fish plates. He, too, winked at Yukimura.
Seiichi rose and dragged Sanada from the room as fast as he could. "I'm sorry," he said once they'd reached the safety of his room. "My parents like to tease me."
"It's what parents do," Sanada said, removing his history text from his backpack.
"It's a shame Renji couldn't be here. My parents are a little more reserved around him." Yukimura also took out his history text. "Would you like something to drink? I'm going to go get a soda."
"Water please." Sanada opened his book and began to study.
Yukimura ran down the stairs. He needed to speak to his parents before they ruined everything. He found them washing dishes together in the kitchen. "Please don't say anything weird in front of Sanada. He's a very conservative person."
They turned, both smiling as they scrubbed. "He's wonderful dear," Yukimura's mother said.
"And the son of a lawyer," Yukimura's father added. "We won't have to worry that you won't be provided for."
Yukimura's mother reached for the drying towel. "We were concerned that you were interested in Yanagi-kun. While he's a very nice boy, he doesn't seem reliable enough for you. We like Sanada-kun much more."
"We're not going out. I'm trying to get him to join the tennis club." Just once, Yukimura would like to have a normal conversation with his parents. "Please do not insinuate anything while he's here."
"You like him, don't you?" Yukimura's father asked, putting the plates away.
Yukimura blushed. He did like Sanada, quite a bit, so much that he'd been more or less stalking the boy. Did Sanada think Yukimura was desperate? Was that why Sanada was being distant? "Yes, I like him, but I want him to play tennis and be my friend first. Do not mess this up for me!"
"Seiichi, don't get over-excited," his mother warned. "Remember your condition."
Yukimura did not want to think of his condition. He wanted his parents to promise to leave Sanada alone. "I'm fine, mom. Nothing bad is going to happen. And don't tell Sanada about it, either. You promised we'd keep it a secret unless it caused problems."
"You should tell him," Yukimura's father argued, moving to place a hand on his son's shoulder. "He'll be hurt later on if you don't."
Yukimura shrugged his father off and moved to the fridge, removing a bottled water and a peach Ramune. "I'm going back up to study. See you at dessert." He walked away, pausing. "Put extra whipped cream on Sanada's. He likes sweet things."