Renji sat across the table from Yukimura in a small coffee shop, two train stops east of Yukimura's home. Tennis practice concluded early and, after Obara-buchou pulled Sanada aside to offer assistance with Sanada's smash technique, Yukimura, red-faced, dragged Renji off the court and demanded they have coffee. Renji did not resist.
"We're going to challenge next week, Renji. We need to make an early statement by joining the regulars in our first year." Yukimura toyed with his vanilla latte but did not drink it.
"Is this about Obara-buchou helping Sanada?" Renji was ninety percent certain it was, but to say so would be to invoke Yukimura's wrath. If the icy stares Yukimura was tossing at Obara were any indication, Yukimura's wrath was not something long survived.
"No, it is about placing ourselves at the head of Rikkai tennis politics. When the three of us become regulars, we will be the first to join in our first year in over ten years. We'll also be the largest group of first years to make regulars in all of Rikkai history." Yukimura continued to stir his latte,
"I believe that you and I can easily make it through the two initial challenges, but I am uncertain as to Obara-buchou's abilities to block my tennis style." Renji was, in fact, not particularly concerned with Obara-buchou, but some reservation would make Yukimura feel good. If Yukimura could rally Renji's spirits, then the boy was twenty times less likely to take Renji's head off when Renji mentioned that a snail with a racquet taped to its shell had a better chance of beating Obara than Sanada did. Renji was going to word it more tactfully, of course but, nevertheless, Sanada wasn't going to make regulars. "I am also concerned that Sanada will have difficulty facing buchou."
"Sanada can take care of himself." The acid in Yukimura's tone startled Renji enough that his chai, now three quarters gone, sloshed dangerously high to the brim of his mug.
"I did not mean to offend, I just…"
"Obara's going to throw the match." Yukimura said it as a matter of course, as he said most things. But, from the violent sip Yukimura took of his no doubt cold latte, Renji knew that his pseudo-friend was upset.
Renji took a breathe and readied himself for what would be a very dangerous and unpleasant experience. He was going to engage Yukimura Seiichi in a discussion on feelings.
&-&
If Obara-buchou were to turn sideways, he would disappear. That was Sanada's first impression of the Rikkaidai Fuzoku tennis club captain. As days passed and Sanada was called out for compulsory practices with Obara, his opinion altered only in so much that he was amazed such a small thing could hit the tennis ball with enough force to slam it through Sanada's racquet. To Sanada's credit, it only happened once, while Sanada was unprepared to properly return the ball, but the incident was a humbling experience; also, a challenge.
Sanada wanted to crush Obara Koji. Sanada wanted to crush him and make him repent of every bad thing he'd ever said against Yanagi and Yukimura. Yanagi was Sanada's friend; Yukimura, Sanada's instructor. Sanada would not stand idly by while some pompous third year with wrists the size of needles badmouthed his companions. Also, Obara was making inappropriate overtures.
"Would you like to come to dinner this evening, Sanada-kun? My mother bought a pineapple and made a wonderful cake with it." Obara served, lightly, before moving to the net. Obara played a serve and volley style that made optimal use of his flexible frame.
Sanada returned with a lob, moving to the baseline. "I am studying with friends this evening. I will have to decline." Sanada shifted his stance, widening it a bit more than usual. There was a move he wanted to try, not at full strength, but just enough to see if it would work.
"What subject? I would be happy to tutor you." Obara smashed, sending the ball in line straight for Sanada.
No, the speed wasn't fast enough for the move yet. "I wouldn't want to inconvenience you." Sanada returned the ball, another lob. Watching Obara run to the baseline to retrieve it was rather fun, the same way throwing a Frisbee for a puppy was fun.
"It's no inconvenience. Besides, I would like to speak with you about the future, Sanada-kun." A return, faster this time.
Sanada curled his stance inward before rushing the ball with a burst of speed. "I have been told that it is more important to focus on the present," he said, watching as Obara investigated the scuff mark at the far, left corner of the court. The ball was out but, with more practice, it could be in and twice as powerful.
"What was that move?" Obara jumped the net in a fluid, graceful movement.
"Invade like fire." Sanada looked down at his buchou, who came only to his collarbone. The move was a derivate of a kendo stance. Sanada imagined a full series of moves, each balancing the other out. He was going to complete his series and beat Yukimura, proving that you could play kendo-tennis and win. Obara-buchou would be his test subject.
Obara took hold of Sanada's racquet arm. "Very impressive. You've channeled your strength and accuracy into a single killing blow." Obara's hand moved to clasp Sanada's bicep. "I want to train you to be the future buchou of Rikkai. You'll be fukubuchou next year, working with Miyabashi-kun, then buchou in your third year." He squeezed the bicep again. "You'll be perfect."
Sanada pulled his arm away. "Yukimura-kun or Yanagi-kun would be a better candidate. It is still uncertain as to whether or not I will be playing next year. The kendo team still has potential."
"Potential?" Obara laughed, low and sliding. "If they had potential you never would've left. Give it some time." A dove soft hand slid along the full length of Sanada's arm. "Think on it while you're studying with your friends this evening. We'll discuss it further once you're a regular."
"Hai." Sanada turned and walked toward the clubroom. He needed a shower before he could go home. Sanada could envision a slime trail where Obara had touched him. Thankfully, Yukimura wasn't due to the dojo for another hour.
&-&
Yukimura sipped at his cold vanilla latte, pretending not to have heard Renji's question. Yukimura did not, at present, wish to discuss how things were progressing with Sanada beyond saying that Sanada's tennis was improving and he was ready to challenge for a regular's spot. Yukimura did not want to discuss any other motivations he might have for soliciting Sanada to the tennis team. Renji knew, of course, but polite individuals knew and kept it to themselves.
"Perhaps my query was improperly stated." Renji smiled, no doubt mocking Yukimura in his brain. "I meant to ask you if you are satisfied with your current personal relationship with Sanada." Here Renji paused and smiled again. "I am aware that you are interested in Sanada in an…extracurricular sense and I, being his friend of many years, am prepared to assist you in any way you deem necessary. I have a volume of data on Sanada that you might find useful but, in order for me to determine what information would best serve your purpose, we will have to discuss what that purpose is." Renji sat back in his chair and rubbed at his nose with the knuckle of his forefinger. It was something he did before he began memorizing everything you said and every move you made.
Yukimura willed his shoulders to relax, his hands to unclench from around his latte mug, now void of beverage. "I believe you are mistaken, Yanagi-kun. I am acting out of concern for the future of the tennis club."
"That," Yanagi said, "is a contradiction. If you recall, you once asked me if Sanada would agree to a visit to the amusement park. It is highly improbable that, at that juncture, when Sanada was regularly attending practices, your actions were solely for the good of the tennis team. Calculating the funds required to travel to and from the park, the entrance fee, the food costs, and any incidental souvenirs, a cost-benefit analysis finds that taking Sanada to the amusement park is inefficient."
Yanagi-kun's lack of tact was one of the main reasons he was no longer going to be Yukimura's fukubuchou. "It was a goodwill gesture meant to continue fostering a sense of kinship between Sanada-kun and myself."
"So you admit that your goal was to better your relationship with Sanada. Good, we are agreed on that, then." Renji opened his bookbag and took out a notebook. "I have charted out your efforts to get closer to Sanada. You fail, primarily, because of your circuitous methodology." Renji pointed to numbers and charts that Yukimura couldn't decipher.
"I appreciate your concern, but I am not…"
"Denying the obvious is a sign of weakness." Yanagi pointed again to his graphs. "Sanada showed signs of interest here," he pointed to a date, two weeks previous, "when he deviated from his usual Tuesday routine to assist you in cleaning the clubhouse." Yanagi paused, closing the notebook. "What I fail to understand is why you've chosen Sanada. Given your character and social standing within the class, Sanada is an illogical choice."
Yukimura stared at the closed book. Denial really was useless, particularly since Renji knew all along. "I'd rather not discuss this here." He looked at the time on his cell. "I will be late for practice with Sanada if we take too long."
"We shall continue our discussion tomorrow at lunch, then." Renji stood, placing enough money on the table to cover both beverages. Yukimura smiled, agreed, and jogged toward the train station, glad to be away from Yanagi and his uncomfortable questions.
&-&
The next day, Sanada was pulled from his classroom by a pink haired boy by the name of Marui Bunta. Marui dragged Sanada through the halls and out onto the lawn, where a number of the tennis regulars were waiting. "Buchou says you're eating with us now." A bright green bubble slipped between Marui's lips, popped, and was gone. "Your form sucks, but you've got a lot of power, which is good. You're zero in the finesse department, which is my specialty, so buchou wanted me to work with you."
"I do not require your help, nor do I believe a first year non-regular capable of assisting me." Despite his annoyance, Sanada sat down where he was told, aware of Obara's eyes on him.
"I'm the school's selection for the Newcomer Tournament, so I know what I'm doing." Marui took out an obscenely large bento from his schoolbag. "Besides, you practice with Yukimura-kun almost every day and he's not allowed to sit with the regulars at lunch. You've got to start making good friends if you want to succeed, Sanada-kun." Marui's eyes darted to the regulars, who were busy chatting amongst themselves. "Look," he whispered, "just go along with it to make buchou happy and we can both get out of this ahead of the rest."
Sanada looked away. He did not want to be ahead of the rest. He wanted to win this absurd competition with Yukimura then be on his way. "I appreciate your concern, but I am uninterested in team politics. I'm returning to my classroom now. I have studying to do." Sanada rose, dusting grass off his uniform.
"Oh no you don't." Marui reached up and grabbed Sanada's arm, pulling the other boy back down in a surprising display of strength. "It may be alright for you to just walk away, but they'll murder me if you do, so sit your ass down." Marui's good natured smile was gone, replaced by something a little more vicious. "Until Yukimura wipes the floor with these guys, the rest of us are stuck, so just help your future teammate out and keep your mouth closed while Obara pretends people respect him."
Sanada suspected that any further attempts at escape would be foiled. Marui was quick and knew how to shift what scant weight he had to his advantage. An escape attempt would draw unwanted attention and probably get them detention for fighting on school grounds. "Fine." Sanada reached over and took a tier from Marui's bento. "My lunch is in the classroom. You will share yours."
"I figured that would be the case, so I packed some extra." Marui tapped his forehead with one finger. "Tensai, you know."
&-&
"Renji, who is that sitting with Sanada?" Yukimura was standing at the edge of the roof, fingers curled around the chain link fence.
"Marui Bunta, first year, elected to be our representative in the Newcomer Tournament next month. I wouldn't worry about him too much; he's trying to get out of Obara's control." Renji's lunch for the day was boring. Marui-kun's lunch was much more exciting. Perhaps tomorrow they could share again. Renji enjoyed lunches with Marui; he had the most bizarre insights and the most fascinating stories. Marui would be a fine addition to the regulars when he got his Tsunawatari shot together.
"He appears to be bothering Sanada. Perhaps you ought to speak with him on that, since you're such good friends." Yukimura was smiling and his voice was light and calm. The way Yukimura's fingers dug into the fence, causing it to shake ever so slightly was the only sign that Yukimura was not handling things as well as he might.
"I have enlisted Marui-kun's assistance in obtaining data on Obara-buchou. Marui does not have any personal interest in Sanada. Please calm down." Renji wasn't sure how Yukimura could function with such volatile emotions. "Perhaps now would be an appropriate time to discuss your thoughts on Sanada? He is occupied and we appear to be alone." After Sanada threw a piece of concrete at an overzealous female classmate and scarred her face, the roof had been abandoned, marked as Sanada's territory.
"I would much rather discuss your serve accuracy. You should be focusing for the matches next week." Yukimura's gaze wandered around the roof. "It's very quiet up here."
"This is not helping you solve your problem. While there is a forty percent chance Sanada's lunch companions are the source of your distraction, I am convinced there is a larger reason you are avoiding the topic of your relationship with Sanada."
"There is no relationship, Renji. There's tennis." Yukimura let out a long, soft sigh. "For all the time we spend on the court and in the dojo, he hasn't invited me to his home for dinner once. Even you've invited me over for dinner."
"Sanada does not invite anyone over for dinner. I've never been inside his house." Not that Renji hadn't tried. Renji attempted scheme after scheme to get invited into Sanada's house, but none of Renji's plans ever succeeded. "He's a very private person. Though we've been acquaintances for years, the closest he lets me come to the interior of his home is the dojo. From the data I've gathered, this has been the case with all of his social relationships."
Yukimura moved away from the fence and back toward his lunch. "That can't be healthy for him, living such a secret life." Yukimura looked down at his bento and picked up his chopsticks, poking at his rice. Yukimura played with his food when he was thinking or when he was upset. Renji concluded that the mixture of the two emotions was why Yukimura only had two bites taken out of his lunch. Yukimura always finished his lunch when Sanada was around. Everyone finished their lunches when Sanada was around. Genichirou believed in clean plates and bodies well fueled for strenuous training. Sanada was going to make an excellent father if Yukimura didn't get his act together.
"Judging from Sanada's values and restraint, it is likely that his family is very traditional. If such were the case, then it is only natural that he refrain from bringing home anyone that might be an embarrassment." Renji knew that his normal behavior, while socially acceptable and highly efficient in gathering data, might seem odd to the more conservative set. He did not fault Sanada for wanting to keep their friendship out of view from Sanada's parents. He was more than slightly hurt, but he understood. "But, in regards to your own interest in Sanada…"
"Renji," Yukimura warned, closing his bento and putting it away. "I am not in the mood for this."
Renji took a small steno from his back pocket. "While you have not been in the mood to discuss these things, approximately one third of the first year class female population has. After joining the tennis club, Sanada's popularity has risen and he is now the third most popular boy in the class." Yanagi flipped to a different page. "A brief discussion with some of the girls in his class revealed that Sanada's most appealing trait is his frank nature. Girls believe that Sanada-kun will make a wonderful husband and, as such, wish to claim him early on, before his range of experience widens and he is attracted to a girl from a different school." A quick glance revealed Yukimura to be clutching his bento. He looked worried. Good. "Sanada's second most appealing trait is his physical prowess, particularly his upper body strength, as demonstrated yesterday when he carried Michiko-chan to the infirmary after she collapsed from an attack of anemia." Renji flipped the page again. There was no information on the page, but Renji knew the data of this particular situation by heart as every girl on campus was talking about it. "Additionally, after taking Michiko-chan to the infirmary, Sanada assisted the art club in moving one of the larger pieces of statuary in the room. Obara-buchou's girlfriend is a member of the art club. Photographs of the move were taken by several of the club members and it is likely that they will be included in the yearbook. I have taken the liberty of acquiring a few of the photographs, particularly those taken by Obara's girlfriend. I assumed you would not want photographs of Sanada without his shirt circulating around the school."
Yukimura's eyes snapped toward Renji. "You are vile. Give them to me. Now. We will destroy them." Yukimura's tone was ambiguous and Renji found it difficult to discern whether it was Yukimura's intent to destroy the photos, the fangirls, or both.
"I am afraid I do not have them on my person. I can assure you, however, that they are in a safe location." The photos were, in fact, in Renji's lockbox under his desk at home. The lock was a twelve number combination that only one other person in the world knew the combination to. "Perhaps, should you care to discuss certain issues of import, we might come to a mutually beneficial solution for disposing of the photos." Renji's smile twitched with euphoric power and the knowledge that Yukimura Seiichi was, perhaps for the first time in his life, beaten.