Behold! The glory of the last chapter! A thousand thanks to all for reading. -Whisper

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&-& Treasure - Chapter 7&-&

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After a year of subtle hinting, not so subtle hinting, and outright asking, Yukimura was finally at the door to Sanada's home, ready to spend a meal and, if Yukimura's plans went well, the night with Sanada's family.

The door opened. "Genichirou's friend, right?"

Yukimura stared. The man in the doorway looked like Genichirou, only taller and with glasses. If this was what Yukimura had to look forward to, then all gods be praised. "Yes Sanada-san. My name is Yukimura Seiichi, thank you for having me in your…"

"Aniki, who is it?" Genichirou shoved through. He was taller than at the beginning of the year by a few inches, but he still had growing to do. "I apologize for whatever my brother's done," Genichirou said. "Mamoru is an idiot with no manners."

"I wasn't the one who shoved his older and wiser brother through the door!" Mamoru said, moving into Genichirou's face. He had to bend down a bit, but he managed.

"If you didn't…"

"Boys, is that the way we treat a guest?" Sanada Noriko smacked her sons upside the head with a feather duster. "My apologies for raising such unseemly boys. Come in Yukimura-kun. It's warm outside."

Yukimura smiled down at Sanada-san – she stood chest-high, except her ponytail, which was to the top of Yukimura's head – and entered, slipping off his shoes. "I hope my visit isn't any trouble."

"Of course not! Why don't you and Genichirou entertain yourselves while I finish up dinner." She patted Yukimura on the head and walked back toward what Yukimura assumed was the kitchen. "Come set the table, Mamoru!"

Mamoru's shoulders sunk and he trudged away. Genichirou would never slouch like that. "Your home is lovely," Yukimura said, clasping his hands in front of him. "What shall we do first?"

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Genichirou planned for a nice, civilized game of checkers in the family room while he and Yukimura waited for his father to come home and his grandfather to finish up in the dojo. A civilized game of checkers turned into a battle between Yukimura and Sanada's mother, which left Genichirou and Mamoru to make dessert and bring drinks when commanded.

"You are skilled," Sanada-san said, finger poised above a chit. "But you are young and lack experience. This will be the end of you!" In a flurry of motion, she cleared the board of all Yukimura's black pieces.

"I lost." Yukimura stared at the board.

"It's just a game, Yukimura-kun." Sanada-san patted Yukimura's head and stood. "I should make sure these two didn't destroy my banana pudding cake recipe. Genichirou, play with your friend. He needs some self esteem."

Genichirou sat and began to arrange the board.

Yukimura stilled his hand. "I don't want to play again. You haven't shown me your room yet. I'd like to see it."

Sanada nodded. "Let me put this away."

"I'll do it Gen-chan." Mamoru slid next to Genichirou and put an arm around his shoulder. "I think he likes you," he whispered, too soft for Yukimura to hear. "Be careful."

Sanada rolled his eyes and stood up. "This way." At the bottom of the stairs he warned, "My room's boring."

"That's okay," Yukimura said, a spring in his step. "I'm going to tell Renji all about it in exchange for some information."

Sanada didn't ask what kind of information Renji had that Yukimura might want. Sanada tried not to converse with Yukimura about Renji at all. The two never particularly got along and, now that Yukimura was fukubuchou, the two were even more distant to one another. That they spoke at all was a miracle.

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Sanada's room was boring. Absolutely, without a doubt boring. The walls were bare and the only furniture in the room was a bookcase, a desk, and a chest for Sanada's futon. "It's lovely, Sanada. It's just as I pictured it." Yukimura had hoped Sanada's room would shed some light on his character. Did he have kendo posters? Tennis posters? Did he have photos of girls? Yukimura was fairly certain Sanada wasn't the sort to have pictures of girls, but he still wasn't positive, not after an entire year of trying to weasel the information out of Renji or trick it out of Sanada and failing.

"You're lying," Sanada said, smiling a little. "It's boring." He sat down in his desk chair and gestured to the floor. "Have a seat. Or we could go back and play checkers."

Yukimura slid the door closed. "You didn't submit a permission form for this summer's training camp." He walked to stand in front of Sanada's splayed legs.

Sanada twisted from side to side in the chair and looked out his window. "I can't go. I have to help in the dojo this summer. I'm a junior instructor." Sanada's head fell back, dropping backward to rest his neck on the back of the chair. "I have to teach children."

The thought of Sanada instructing a small band of children was amusing. "I think you'll do well. Come to the camp if you have days off. Your slicing needs more accuracy. You gave up two games at nationals. It was embarrassing. Obara almost got to play a match that mattered." Yukimura inched a little closer, standing between Sanada's legs. Sanada didn't notice, he was still tilted over his chair, looking at the wall behind him.

"It was fine," Sanada said. "Everyone knows who runs the team."

Yukimura smiled. That was the first time Sanada recognized Yukimura's position in the club with anything other than a reverent nod and a, "yes, Yukimura."

Sanada let out a loud sigh and his chest hovered a moment before sinking down. His throat undulated as he swallowed. Sanada had a very nice neck, muscular with evenly colored skin. Yukimura often thought about running his tongue down the tendons after a hard practice, picking up rivulets of sweat.

"You're staring at me," Sanada said, lifting his head to frown at Yukimura. "Stop it."

"You're the only thing to look at in here," Yukimura said, taking the final step that brought his knees against Sanada's thighs. "You're very talkative today, Sanada."

"It's my house." Sanada shrugged and ignored Yukimura's proximity. Yukimura invading Sanada's personal space was nothing new.

"I'm just unaccustomed to it." Yukimura's knee tapped at Sanada's leg. "We should go play a few games after dinner. I brought my tennis bag." Yukimura's tennis bag also had his change of clothes. If Sanada wasn't an idiot, he would ask Yukimura to stay the night. Unless he liked girls, in which case Yukimura would pretend to have just stayed at Marui's house the night before.

Sanada shrugged. "Fine." He titled his head back again, staring at the eggshell wall.

"You can work on that fuurin thing you showed me." Yukimura tapped Sanada's leg again. It was rude to space out when your guest was talking to you.

"Fuurinkazan," Sanada corrected, still looking at the wall.

Yukimura tapped Sanada's other leg. "Do you think your father is home yet? Should we go play checkers?"

Sanada snorted and the next thing Yukimura knew he was falling forward into Sanada's lap. Sturdy hands looped around his waist and chapped lips glided across his. "Do you really want to play checkers?" Sanada asked, pulling back.

Yukimura held onto Sanada's shirt and tried to focus through the tipsy feeling in his gut. The best he could get out was a whine that might have been no or the tail end of Genichirou. He really couldn't tell.

Sanada steadied Seiichi on his lap, turning the other boy around and nuzzling his neck. "You were taking too long," Sanada said. "You're unattractive when you're indecisive."

"So I'm attractive every other time?" Yukimura grinned up at the ceiling. "Good." He settled deeper into Sanada's chest. "I'm spending the night."

"I assumed you would." Sanada tilted back to stare at the wall again. "The clothes are in your bag. It's bulkier than usual."

Yukimura gave in and slipped his tongue across Sanada's neck. Contrary to his fantasies, Sanada's sweat tasted nothing like nectar and everything like sweat. Disgusting. "We'll get up early and play a few games before I have to go home, since I won't see you for the rest of the week."

"Yes, Yukimura." Sanada gave Yukimura a squeeze. "Mother will want you back for more checkers."

"Never."

"She'll be upset and won't let you come over again."

"You can stay at my house." Yukimura's mother loved Sanada almost as much as her son did. "Or we could kick Renji out of his room."

"There are cameras."

"Really?"

"No."

Yukimura smacked Sanada across the head and stood. "Idiot. Let's go play checkers before your brother starts insinuating things." He held his hand out to Genichirou and waited.

"Yes, Yukimura." Sanada brushed his fingers across Yukimura's hand and smiled.

They walked out the room, hands to themselves, eyes focused forward, and not the least bit suspicious looking save for Yukimura's faint blush and Sanada's satisfied grin.