Disclaimer: not mine, cool? cool.
Um: Not so much a sequel as a partner story; the order you read them doesn't really matter.
Note: You may be disturbed by the ages that they started out at for the fic as much as I was... just tell yourself "it's a different world so whatever"?
"Learn how to work with a team, and you'll be unstoppable."
"Yes."
"Who's that guy?"
"Sanada Genichirou? He's in my class. He keeps to himself most of the time though."
"I heard he's from a really traditional family."
"What's he doing in the tennis club then?"
There were a lot of freshmen signed up for the tennis club. His sensei should be happy with that - there was a huge team for him to learn from. However, while there were a few familiar faces from his classes, he didn't really know anyone. It didn't matter. Sanada always succeeded at what he did, and he'd succeed at tennis. He was athletic by nature, and years of training in the dojo had polished his raw talent into almost flawless skill.
Sanada made a name for himself on the first day. The captain had probably thought to show all the freshmen how much improvement they needed by ordering thirty laps from them. Within a few minutes, Sanada and two other freshmen were clearly at the head of the pack. By the time they were rounding their twentieth lap, they were the only ones still running - the other freshmen had either slowed down or collapsed. When they finished their thirty laps, the captain congratulated them with a stunned expression and offered to let them start practicing on the courts the next day.
In the clubroom after practice that day, Sanada made his first friend.
"Hi, my name's Yukimura Seiichi. You're Sanada Genichirou-kun, right?"
It was simple, really. Tennis came to Sanada naturally - the racket felt different from his katana, but he adjusted quickly. Yukimura and the other freshman, Yanagi, had been playing tennis since elementary school and played very well together in doubles. Sanada failed miserably the first time he tried doubles - he chased after every ball and didn't pay attention to Yanagi at all. The captain offered to let him try singles, but he was determined to succeed at doubles. Yukimura and Yanagi helped him, giving him tips and telling him when to let a ball go for his partner to get. After he and Yukimura defeated a team of senpai six-three, Sanada switched to singles. It didn't matter if he wasn't good at doubles - he had two friends, and was learning something new about teamwork everyday.
Sanada could feel himself growing to trust his teammates more and more. Where he once fought solely for himself, he now fought knowing that his loss would affect more than just himself. In addition, he liked spending time with Yukimura and Yanagi, watching matches between senpai and video tapes of professional matches. Yanagi was brilliant - he said his style was called "data tennis." At first, Sanada was kind of creeped out by how Yanagi seemed to always be where the ball was, but he soon learned to just accept it as part of they mysterious boy from Tokyo, who never opened his eyes and actively tried to avoid making friends.
His friendship with Yukimura grew stronger every day. The day the captain announced that the three of them would be playing as Regulars in the district tournament, the two of them had gone out for dinner to celebrate. The next day, Yukimura was waiting for Sanada in front of his house so they could walk to school together. When his mother asked who the polite young man was, Sanada told her, "My best friend"Sanada would never forget the day they won the district tournament. It had been a pretty easy win - Yukimura and Yanagi had won doubles two six-two, doubles one won six-zero, and he won singles three six-one. That wasn't what was burned into his memory of that beautiful spring day though. After a team celebration dinner that evening, he and Yukimura walked home together, and Yukimura told him that he was going to ask out Yanagi. Sanada was confused - he knew about dating and all that, but he'd never thought much about it. So he just gave some vague words of encouragement, and they moved on to discuss their matches that day
When he was alone in his room that night, Sanada lay on his back and stared up at his ceiling. He wasn't sure why felt lonely. He had a good friend and teammate in Yukimura, didn't he? And if Yukimura were to become good friends with Yanagi, maybe Sanada would also gain an additional friend. His sensei had praised him on how much he had improved - he was getting better and better at reading people and his mental stamina was steadily strengthening. Who knew working on a team could help with that? Still, as he shifted onto his left side and curled into a fetal position, he wondered why his chest hurt, just a little.
The next day, Sanada spent an extra long time on the courts after practice was over, hitting a ball against a wall and trying to increase his speed with each swing. After two hundred swings without a single miss, he picked up his stuff and headed to the clubroom. Just outside the door though, he heard soft voices, and somehow couldn't bring himself to announce his presence. Instead, he carefully stood just behind the door and listened to a sniffling Yanagi tell his listener about his past year and the reason he transferred to Rikkai. Listening to the story of love and hurt unfold, Sanada learned more about what trust meant than he had in the past month of being on a team. When Yanagi finished, Sanada heard what was doubtlessly Yukimura's voice whispering some words, and then silence. He didn't need to hear what Seiichi said to know what had just gone on, though, and decided to just go home without interrupting them.
Yukimura called him that evening to tell him that Yanagi agreed to dating him. Sanada congratulated him, then, without thinking, blurted, "If he ever hurts you, Yukimura, I'll always be by your side."
There was only a brief pause before Seiichi responded, "Thank you, Sanada." After hanging up, Sanada headed straight for the dojo, practicing with his katana until he couldn't lift it above his waist.
The rest of the year had passed by Sanada as if it were a dream. Yukimura was spending more and more time outside of practice with Renji. Without Yukimura by his side, opening him up, Sanada again withdrew into his shell. He practiced more and harder than ever before, perfecting two of what would become his signature four moves. They went to Nationals together that fall, winning the finals with Yukimura and Yanagi in doubles one and Sanada in singles two. The three freshmen from Rikkai gathered more attention than the rest of the tournament's participants combined.
That day, they promised each other to keep the championship title at Rikkai, together. They wouldn't let their hard-earned victory be taken from them. He and Renji started using each other's first names, but he and Yukimura seemed to have some unspoken agreement to stay professional.
The following spring brought them an interesting new first year. After being granted permission to practice on the courts much as Rikkai's Three Demons had the year before, Kirihara Akaya proceeded to defeat junior after junior, injuring many in the process, until Yukimura stepped in to face him. The three of them each beat him until he couldn't even stand. When Renji beat Kirihara, a week after Yukimura first did, Kirihara's eyes were bloodshot.
"Shit! I'm definitely... definitely going to beat you three guys! I will be number one!" Kirihara lay prone on the court, struggling to stand up, but his eyes flashed with anger and humiliation.
"What an interesting new member," Yukimura commented to himself, smiling in a way that Sanada had no idea what was on his mind. Renji stood on the opposite side of Yukimura, looking none the worse for wear from his match.
"Is he joking?" Sanada raised an eyebrow. The determination Kirihara showed was staggering. Sanada had always been good at reading his opponents, and he could tell that Kirihara had unknown amounts of raw potential hidden inside him. It would be interesting to watch the kid develop into a formidable opponent - no, teammate. Kirihara definitely had just as much determination for winning as he himself did.
Watching Akaya develop, Sanada grew to finally understand what his sensei meant about working on a team. Akaya's talent wasn't any less than his, Yukimura's and Renji's. However, Akaya didn't have anyone to really train with, whereas the three of them trained together and overcame the natural limitations to a person's rate of growth by supporting and pushing each other. One plus one didn't add to two in training - it added to more than two. Akaya pushed them hard, constantly demanding matches regardless of propriety. Renji developed a special interest in the first year, and the jump in Akaya's improvement once Renji started helping him was blatantly visible. Still, Sanada ignored him, opting to perfect his Fuu Rin Ka Zan instead. It was clear that Akaya would be wearing a Regular's jersey before the cherry blossoms were done blooming in the following spring.
They won nationals that year also, with Yukimura playing singles one, Renji in doubles one and Sanada in singles two, as if to say the name Rikkai's Three Demons was here to stay. The tennis world was abuzz with news of the best junior high tennis players in Japan, but they ignored the outside world and kept their eyes only on the future.
Yukimura, by then undoubtedly one of the top junior high tennis players in all of Japan, was chosen to be the captain for the following year before the then-captain had even retired, and Sanada would be his vice captain. When they weren't practicing themselves, they were watching the other juniors practice, trying to figure out a good Regulars lineup. Akaya was definitely on the list. They had Yagyuu Hiroshi and Niou Masaharu selected also, when one day during lunch, Yukimura collapsed. At first, Sanada thought Yukimura was probably just exhausted, since the boy had just had a growth spurt, and his relationship with Renji was going through a rough time. He wasn't prepared for the sentence passed on his captain-to-be by the hospital.
"Guillain-Barre Syndrome?" It seemed even Renji had never heard of the illness before. Before the nurse could respond, though, Yagyuu cut in.
"It seems to be a disease of the immune system whose causes are unknown. It typically begins with weakness in the arms and legs, and eventually the body will lose its ability to move around freely." Fresh off the phone with his doctor father, Yagyuu related to them what he had just learned about the illness that caused Yukimura's collapse as the nurse watched him with hearts in her eyes, despite the fact that Yagyuu was at least ten years her junior. "If the situation worsens, the respiratory system can become paralyzed and the patient will have trouble breathing, talking, and even eating. The disease reaches its peak two weeks after the initial outbreak."
"Can it be cured?" Renji wanted to know.
"At the earliest, it will take at least one month. At the latest, it could take over a year," Yagyuu trailed off as Yukimura was pushed past them on a stretcher.
"Yukimura! We shall wait for your return undefeated!" Sanada found himself yelling after his unconscious captain. It didn't matter what had or hadn't happened between them in the past. What mattered was the promise to win Nationals together one more time. When Yukimura was discharged from the hospital, having scheduled surgery for the following summer, he came straight to tennis practice. Even though he wasn't allowed to play, he stood outside the courts and watched, giving pointers when possible. Finally, when the seniors retired, Yukimura and Sanada officially took over the posts of captain and vice captain and sat down to make their lineup.
"So, Marui, Jackal, Niou, Yagyuu, Akaya, Renji, you and me?" Yukimura questioned that day, fingers rubbing gentle circles in his temple as he looked over the roster. The disease had already taken a heavy toll on the boy - he looked so small, and his jacket had already become too big for him. Without his customary headband, Yukimura's hair framed his face, softening his already feminine features. Sanada wanted to reach out and stroke that hair, maybe help ease some of the tension from his captain's shoulders.
Instead, he nodded. "Sounds right to me."
"They'll be our Nationals team."
"Our team."
"Yea. Remember, Sanada - you promised. You must not lose."
"We won't, but you have to be back before Nationals."
"I will. I promise."
Senior year unfolded as planned - Yukimura weakened so much that he stopped going to school, and was finally admitted into the hospital until the date of his surgery. Meanwhile, Sanada brought him biweekly reports of the team's progress. Sometimes, he'd run into Renji also visiting, and they'd talk and watch videos of matches together, just like they had as freshmen. Except it wasn't the same anymore. It wasn't each of them watching for themselves - it was them watching for their teammates, pointing out who needed what kinds of drills.
One such visit particularly stood out in Sanada's mind. He passed Renji in the hospital lobby - he'd just arrived and Renji was on his way out. The instant Sanada stepped into Yukimura's room and saw his fragile-looking captain sitting, shoulders hunched, he could tell something was wrong. "Yukimura? I just passed Renji in the lobby... are you crying?"
"No, no what makes you think that?"
Sanada walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. He raised a finger to Yukimura's cheek, wiping away the moisture he found. "That." He stood, taking off his cap and setting it down on Yukimura's bedside table. Taking a seat in the visitor's chair, he said, "You don't have to be so strong all the time, Yukimura. We're in this together." Still, Yukimura didn't say anything. "Is it about Inui?"
"You know about that?" Yukimura didn't appear very surprised, nor did he deny what Sanada was implying.
"We saw him today at Kantou. I couldn't stop him and Akaya from going to watch the Hyoutei-Seigaku match."
"He wants to play Inui."
"He thinks he can win."
"Do you doubt it?"
"I think there's a chance he won't." Noting the odd look that earned him, Sanada continued, "I'm sorry, but I don't think Renji's over him quite yet."
There was a pause before Yukimura responded. "I know. I told him it would be OK."
"If he loses..."
"Then I lose him. But Rikkai never loses. We strive only for the championship - everything else is worthless."
"True. And we won't lose - not with our team. We'll win Nationals again, undefeated." Sanada had wanted to remind Yukimura of his vow to be there for Yukimura if Renji ever left him, but now didn't seem like the right time to bring that up. They shouldn't have backup plans, because losing simply wasn't an option.
"You must not lose."
Kantou went by uneventfully; Rikkai won all of their matches without a hitch. Not one game was lost. Just a few days before the finals, Sanada went for his regular visit to his captain. "Yukimura, it's finally down to the Kantou Tournament finals. We will advance undefeated to the Nationals." Sanada cracked a small, strong smile, as they stood on the roof of the hospital. Just half a year ago, Yukimura had been sitting at a school desk with Sanada looking at their lineup over his shoulder, promising each other to win another National championship together. "It's not like you to break a promise. Winning the Nationals three years in a row... even without you, we're still a championship caliber team." Even as he said that, he knew Yukimura got the underlying message. The team wouldn't lose tennis matches. Yukimura wouldn't lose Renji. Rikkai didn't lose.
Suddenly, Renji and the other Regulars burst onto the roof. "Genichirou, we've got some trouble!" Sanada knew immediately from the absence of Jackal and Akaya that it had to be something with Akaya - Jackal was supposed to be keeping him out of trouble.
"Sanada," Yukimura called to him, just as he was about to leave. "Sorry to have caused you so much trouble."
When he got to the courts and found out that Akaya had lost to the Seigaku freshman, Sanada was so angry he couldn't speak for several seconds. The other seniors filled in for him.
"Kirihara-kun, I want you to reflect over what you've done," Yagyuu started.
"The most important thing for us, Rikkai Dai Fuzoku, to accomplish right now is to win a third straight national title. However..." Marui trailed off as his bubble got too big for him to speak with it.
"Losing is not acceptable," Renji filled in for him.
"Duh!" Niou exclaimed, as if to just join in on the chastising.
"You must not lose," Sanada said, the image of Yukimura coming to mind. He knew that this couldn't be kept from Yukimura. That couldn't take precedence in his mind though - they still had a Nationals to win. "Even if it is not an official match, that is the law of Rikkai Dai Fuzoku."
That night, Sanada couldn't sleep; he went to meditate in the dojo instead. It was impressive how the other seniors understood the need for Rikkai to continue through Nationals undefeated just as much as he, Yukimura and Renji did. At some point, it had become the entire team's philosophy, and not just their's. Maybe that's what being a team was about - striving to achieve a common goal together. After an hour of meditation, he drew his katana and started practicing. Echizen. Seigaku. Inui. Renji. Yukimura. And just think, none of this would have happened if his sensei hadn't told him to learn to work with a team.
Rikkai lost. It was inexplicable. Not only did he probably have to explain Renji's loss to Yukimura, he also had to explain his own. Nonetheless, that wasn't something to show the stands right now. "The champions Rikkaidai... that is a thing of the past." He knew his teammates were walking up behind him, ready to support him even in their second-place finish. They pulled together into a huddle, each supporting and leaning against the person next to him. "This year, we shall enter the Nationals as 'Challengers.' Naturally, in order to reclaim our throne!"
"Yes sir!" his teammates responded.
"Seigaku! We will defeat you guys at the Nationals! The Nationals won't be easy - at least win until we face each other again!"
They would win. Defeat was never absolute. They would still win Nationals, and their promise wouldn't be broken. It would be OK. When time came for them to pick up their second place certificate, Sanada rejected it. Using Yukimura's words, he explained, "We strive only for the championship - everything else is worthless." For Yukimura. They'd win for him, his mind added.
A reasonable portion of the dialogue comes straight from the manga (the Kirihara/Yukimura/Sanada scene, the introduction of the GB Syndrome scene, the hospital rooftop - Echizen/Kirihara match scene, and the response to losing Kantou finals scene) - I'm going to hope that doesn't count as plagiarism. As mentioned in the disclaimer, this story is not mine; I just sometimes like setting fics as close to the real storyline as possible, and this one really cut it close. o.0
So yea.. aside from that, comments/critiques/questions/errors all welcome, as usual.