I updated, I updated, I updated… Thank you Guest who reviewed (: I know I have a very classic writing style that's kind of wordy, but I'm still tweaking around with it after returning from a hiatus from English writing. *sighs* Maybe as my style develops I will edit the chapter in future.
*Updated 11/9/13* I got the hang of the personalities of the characters after writing more so I made some adjustments -grins- it definitely makes more sense and flows more smoothly now.
Higher than the Wind
Art Project and Morning Match
Time flew by in Rikkai Dai. As most of the sports clubs approached the end of their competition season, summer holiday —as well as the dreaded mid-year examination— was also about to arrive. As a transfer student, Tsugi had expectations to be met. Doing well in both her first examination and club activities was of paramount importance to fortifying her standing in the school because Rikkai Dai promoted a holistic education, which meant that every student in the school was pushed to excel in both their club activities as well as their academics. It wasn't an 'either or', it was a 'this and that'.
Which was why Tsugi was fretting over her Art grade. Tsugi wasn't an All-Star student; nor had she ever tried to be one, but her grades were usually decent enough for her to slip under the teacher's radar. But there was a subject which she was absolutely helpless in – the very esoteric subject called 'Art'. Her second poorest subject was Chemistry which she always teetered on the edge of failing, but she was sure that if she studied hard for it, a borderline pass wouldn't be a problem. After all, Chemistry was kind of a contents subject. Art, on the other hand, was a completely different issue. It was simply impossible for a person who didn't have the least bit of an artistic DNA in her to pass in a subject so dependent on innate talent.
If she was in any other school, it wouldn't have been a problem if she just got a 'U', but no — she was in Rikkai Dai, the nationally acclaimed institution famed for producing all-rounded talents. The fact that it was essential for her to pass every single subject if she ever harbored any hopes of making it on the team only made it worse. A senior had told her that if she wanted to be a regular in Rikkai Dai, it was absolutely necessary for her to maintain a passing grade for every subject even in first year. In fact, there was a true story of a senior who was dropped from the team because she failed math when she was a first year, even though that senior was already a third year.
So when the final graded Art assignment of the term was announced, it was hardly surprising that Tsugi's face fell as soon as she heard that it was going to make up 75% of her Art grade for the term. Fortunately for her, it was a pair project, so Tsugi could see a sliver of hope there. She looked hopefully at Geishi, but with an apologetic look on her face, Geishi shook her head and pointed to the girl to the other side of her. 'Sorry', she mouthed, and Tsugi shook her head. She'd have to find someone else to be her partner then, but after looking through the room, Tsugi realized that she might just be the only lone soul without a partner. More than the melancholy of being the 'odd one out', Tsugi was worried about her Art grade.
"This is bad, really, really bad... What should I do? If I fail this Art project, I'm going to be dead meat… No, no, I can't fail…" Tsugi groaned as she began muttering to herself, a habit which she was trying to break out of since she was living with grandpa now and she knew that grandpa didn't like her doing unladylike things. Summer class for Art was hardly an amusing idea. It would be a total embarrassment if she had to retake her Art paper. Normally, schools would only require students to retake the main papers like Social Studies, Japanese and English… but Rikkai Dai was different from the other schools. Rikkai Dai, being a prestigious school with a century-long history decided that students must retake the papers for all the subjects that they failed - even if the subject was something as insignificant as Home Economics. But honestly, that would be terribly unsightly. People didn't usually fail secondary subjects, do they?
But she did! Ugh. Tsugi propped her up head up on a palm, a glum look on her face. This was so, so frustrating. But perhaps Lady Fortune had finally decided to beam down on Tsugi today, for Tsugi was surprised; or perhaps, bewildered would be a better word, by an unexpected change in event.
"Would you like to pair with me for this Art project, Yanagi-san?" Yukimura had turned and smiled –a very, very beautiful smile that put even the blossoms of spring to shame– at her, putting forward a very attractive proposal.
Tsugi blinked at his benign smile. Instead of being elated, she had enough sense of logic to instinctively suspect that this had something to do with her dear cousin Renji. She was right, because Renji had indeed requested Yukimura to help Tsugi with her Art grade.
—Flashback—
"If it is possible, Yukimura, can you spare Tsugi some help with Art?" Renji asked Yukimura one day after practice. They were in the finals of the Prefectural Tournament at that time.
"Tsugi? Ah, you mean Yanagi Asaitsugi. It's not like you to ask this of me, Yanagi," Yukimura quirked an eyebrow. Could Sanada actually be right about Yanagi harboring feelings for that girl?
"It's not what you're thinking. Tsugi is a promising tennis player. I don't want her chance of being a regular to be ruined because of her miserable Art grade," Renji cringed upon remembering Tsugi's failed attempt at sketching him for a class assignment. It was ludicrous to the extent that he suspected she was really making a caricature of him.
"Hmm. I'll see about it, but I can't promise anything," Yukimura gave a blurry answer.
Renji nodded, knowing that this was the most positive response he could elicit from Yukimura.
—End of flashback—
Despite having told Renji that, Yukimura didn't plan to go out of his way to help her. If he hadn't been spacing out during Art class –and during this period of time everybody else except the two of them have already found their partner, he realized– Yukimura wouldn't have asked Tsugi to partner with him. Fate was at play, he supposed.
"I appreciate your kindness, Yukimura-san, but I'll prefer working to achieve my grades. Renji asked this of you, didn't he?" Politely, Tsugi declined Yukimura's offer. While she was moved by Renji's concerns and she did consider pairing up with an Art guru to pull up her Art grade for a split second, her dignity outweighed her desire to do well if it meant obtaining a good grade by unethical means.
She hadn't spoken to Yukimura since she asked him to lead her to the court over a month ago. It was impossible for him to make a sudden offer like that if Renji wasn't involved.
A flick of surprise gleamed through Yukimura's cool blue eyes, but he didn't allow it to linger. After a short, thoughtful pause, Yukimura began speaking again, this time with a bit more force to his tone.
"It may be in your best favor if we work together, Yanagi-san."
Was it the light at play? Because Tsugi could have sworn that Yukimura's hypnotizing ocean-colored eyes seemed to have darkened a little.
If Renji was there, he would have realized the subtle change of Yukimura's eye color as the prelude to his manipulative ploys. But it was Tsugi, who wasn't very familiar with Yukimura who was interacting with him. Tsugi's expression turned a little cold upon Yukimura's subtly yet not inconspicuously arrogant words.
"That's true, but I don't want to rely on anybody, nor do I wish to pull anybody's grades down. I'm not a suitable partner for you, Yukimura-san," Tsugi acknowledged calmly, her tone firm and distantly polite. Sure, she could understand his pride, the fact that he was talented in both sports and aesthetics gave him the assets to boast of; but that didn't mean that she had to suck up to him. Egocentric people ranked at the top of her black list. Truth to be told, she was a little disappointed by Yukimura because she had thought of him to be different since Renji spoke so highly of him but ah, this wasn't significant enough to have an impact on her life. After all, they were merely classmates, not even acquaintances. Tsugi decided to ignore Yukimura and look around the class in a final bid for another partner but she was, for the second time today, surprised by the same person.
Bit by bit, the smile on Yukimura's face enlarged and his ocean-colored eyes twinkled a little — that little twinkle was enough to light up this whole room. This was Yukimura's genuine smile, not his polite and distant façade. It was a hundred times more beautiful and striking than his usual smile.
"I think you're mistaken, Yanagi-san. Renji didn't ask me to do this," Yukimura laughed softly; a completely different person from the snobby 'Child of God' persona he displayed just a few moments ago, not forgetting to cover up for his friend, "if you haven't already noticed, we are the only ones left without a partner now," he decorously pointed out.
It took Tsugi a moment to comprehend Yukimura's words. A look of realization crossed her face when she scanned the room, and she mouthed a very soft "oh".
Indeed, only Yukimura and she were left alone in their seats. Everybody else was either standing next to their selected partner or clustered around a desk.
"I'm sorry if I sounded condescending just now, I was merely curious how you'd react," Yukimura smiled warmly at her, as if the arrogant person from before was just a figment of her imagination. "Will you do me the honor of being my partner for the Art project, Yanagi-san?" Yukimura asked with mock courtesy which made Tsugi chuckle. Somehow, she had this weird feeling like she had just passed an important test sort of.
"That's okay. I won't take it to heart. I'll be in your care from now on then, Yukimura-san," Tsugi murmured as a blush appeared on her face, "I'm really terrible in Art but I can't just sit around and leech off you. Sorry if I pull you down," Tsugi apologized beforehand. She knew that Yukimura was one of the best students in the class, and he'd probably score better without her as excess baggage. But even if it was insensible self-deception, she'd like to feel that she wasn't totally free-riding.
"No, please don't feel uneasy. Just do what you think you should do," Yukimura smiled as he stood up, "I'll inform the teacher about our grouping."
"Please do, Yukimura-san."
Tsugi watched as Yukimura approached Matsumoto-sensei, shuffling nervously in her seat when Matsumoto-sensei shot her a sharp, disapproving look across Yukimura's shoulder. She knew what the teacher was thinking, but she couldn't deny it. The fact was that most of the project will be Yukimura's work.
Yukimura soon returned with a set of materials.
"The theme of the project is 'The Awakening'. These are some sample materials which are handed out to every pair," Yukimura explained as he passed the papers to Tsugi. Tsugi looked through them. They were nothing special; mostly pictures of people waking up, sunrise and the transition from winter to spring. None of the pictures especially appealed to her, so she slipped them back to Yukimura who took a quick glance through it and pursed his lips in a way which looked kind of cute in Tsugi's eyes. 'This is weird,' Tsugi thought to herself, she noticed that he seemed to be a different person from usual. The urge to ask why was overwhelming her but just as she wanted to clarify with him the reason for his sudden change in attitude, Yukimura spoke before her.
"I have an idea, but it's a bit different. Would you like to try it out?" asked Yukimura, an index finger rhythmically tapping on the side of Tsugi's desk. That was close. Tsugi let out a sigh of relief inwardly, for a second, her impulse nearly got the better of her. She didn't want to appear nosy in front of someone she wasn't close with, so she was glad that Yukimura interrupted her irrational impulse.
"What is it?" She pulled out a pen and paper, readying herself to take notes.
"I'm drawing inspiration from this picture," Yukimura picked up a picture of a man awakening from his sleep in the face of the morning Sun, "but I have a slightly different take to it. What do you say, if we paint a picture of a Pharaoh awakening from his eternal slumber?" Yukimura smiled as an excited glint flashed through his eyes. It wasn't hard to tell that this boy genuinely loved the subject.
A Pharaoh awakening from his eternal slumber he says? Tsugi blinked, tapping her pen on the paper as she tried to visualize a Pharaoh; draped in gold and elaborate embroidery, meant to rest forever in his pyramid but was awakened by intruders in his tomb. The enticement of supernatural play and the dark, mysterious feel to the esoteric Egyptian culture could be really thrilling. It was truly a daring take, but an entrancing one if they pulled it off well. Trust Yukimura to come up with something like that, it was no wonder he was one of the top students for Art in the cohort.
"I can see why Matsumoto-sensei adores you so much, Yukimura-san. Your idea is brilliant," Tsugi took a deep breath and declared.
"I just happen to enjoy the subject, that's all. My schedule is packed with training on weekdays, so we can only work on this together on weekends," Yukimura shook his head and proceeded to plan their schedule.
"I understand, it's the competition season after all," Being a sportsman herself, she could relate to his priorities. If she recalled correctly, the boys tennis team just finished their quarterfinal match at the National Tournament. There was still a long way to go before the tournament finishes.
"I'll drop by your house this Saturday if it's convenient?" Yukimura suggested.
"Sure. I'll prepare the Art materials," Since he had training every weekday and Tsugi had little commitment herself, Tsugi decided to take it upon herself to purchase the Art material.
"Thank you very much. Ah, pass me your mobile phone for a moment," Yukimura stretched out his hand. His palm, like the rest of his body was snow-white. His fingers were long and slender, an epitome of the perfect musician's hand. It was hard to imagine that this hand belonged to a top tennis player like Yukimura. Even though his palm was marred by calluses resulted from his years of tennis experience, his hand was still beautiful.
Tsugi fished out her mobile phone from her pocket and placed it in Yukimura's hand. He punched in his number and left a missed call on his own phone.
"I'll send you a list of the required materials later tonight," Yukimura spoke as he checked his own mobile phone, saving Tsugi's number on his phone. His voice resembled the sound of a spring running over layers of rocks. A rather odd simile, but his voice gave her that sort of feeling. He reminded her of those traditional Chinese landscape paintings which her father adored.
"Okay, I'll see you on Saturday then," Tsugi shook the thought off and put her phone back into her pocket. She then began to pack up her things, seeing that lesson was ending soon.
"I'll be in your care."
~x~
After dinner, the Yanagi household sat down together for some family bonding time. It was part of their daily routine, in compliance with the household rules set by Yanagi Ichijou – the grandpa of Tsugi and Renji.
"Uncle Rikimaru, Aunt Machi, can I have a friend over on Saturday? We're working on an Art project together," Tsugi asked respectfully, but even a small, insignificant request like this gladdened Yanagi Rikimaru, because this showed that Tsugi was warming up to them.
"It's always good to familiarize yourself with more friends. Your aunt and I will be going out with grandpa and grandma this Saturday. Renji, look after the house with Tsugi," Yanagi Rikimaru nodded his head, his stern expression softening a little when he looked at his niece. It wasn't hard to tell from whom Renji obtained his personality from.
"Yes, father," Renji replied with a small bow.
"Renji, take care of Tsugi, okay?" The benign old lady sitting on the sofa beamed at her two grandchildren.
"I will, grandma."
"Grandma, I'm older than Renji," Tsugi pouted as she hugged the cushion closer to herself.
"Renji is a boy, Tsugi," Yanagi Ichijou shot a disapproving look at Tsugi. The male members of the Yanagi household tended to be strict.
"Yes, grandpa, I understand. Please pardon my insolence," Tsugi straightened her back and replied obsequiously, as meek as a lamb before Yanagi Ichijou. A conservative man who subscribed strongly to family traditions and beliefs, Yanagi Ichijou was a strict grandfather who never failed to intimidate his grandchildren, instilling in them strong traditional values. He was a major reason for Tsugi's seemingly innate polite nature, having cared for her for a period of time when she was young. During then, Yanagi Ichijou groomed her to become who she was today – a lady who abode by the stifling etiquette and had the elegant manner of an upper class family's daughter. Even though Yanagi Ichijou had been largely successful in achieving his vision, he certainly didn't succeed in erasing all of Tsugi's inherent qualities that didn't constitute a lady. Her love for tennis being one of them.
It was due to their grandpa that Sachiko applied for a boarding school in Sapporo. Unlike Tsugi who would never as much dream about defying her elders, Sachiko was a born rebel. The duo frequently ended up in violent clashes – by violent, we mean Sachiko earning cane strokes.
Yanagi Ichijou nodded at Tsugi, satisfied with her obedience. The family meeting (?) was adjourned with a signal from Yanagi Ichijou, and all family members returned to their rooms.
Renji picked up his mobile phone which he left charging in his room, and he noticed that there was a new message from Yukimura. He opened the message and quirked an eyebrow as he browsed through the contents.
You owe me one.
From: Yukimura Seiichi
~x~
Saturday soon arrived. Just like what Yanagi Rikimaru said, all the adults left the house early in the morning. Tsugi's biological alarm clock woke her up at about 7 o'clock, which was the usual time she got up for school. She washed up and went to the kitchen, and upon realizing that Yanagi Machi didn't prepare breakfast for them that morning, she promptly set to make breakfast for Renji and herself. Her culinary skill was only decent at best but making breakfast wasn't difficult for someone who grew up taking care of herself.
When Renji came down, he saw Tsugi sitting cross-legged on the sofa in the living room, a half-eaten sandwich held between her fingers. The scratchy sound produced by the contact between Renji's slippers and the wooden floor attracted Tsugi's attention and she turned to look at him.
"Good morning, Renji. Your breakfast and the newspaper are on the kitchen benchtop," Tsugi greeted Renji cheerfully.
"Good morning, Tsugi," said Renji as he walked into the kitchen. Two sandwiches, a half-boiled egg and some bacon plus a glass of orange juice sat on the benchtop. It wasn't the usual Japanese-style breakfast Yanagi Machi would cook.
"Was breakfast made by you today?" Renji turned his head towards the living room and asked Tsugi. There was an 89.3% chance that this wasn't made by Yanagi Machi.
"Yup, is it not to your taste? I can remake it if you'd like," Tsugi shot a worried look at Renji. She made a Western-style breakfast because it was convenient, but that didn't mean that she couldn't cook a Japanese dish or two.
"No, it's fine," Renji shook his head and bit into his sandwich. He just wanted to confirm it. "What time is Yukimura arriving?"
"Half past ten, he says," Tsugi took another bite out of her sandwich before realizing that something wasn't quite right. "How did you know that Yukimura-san is coming?" She didn't tell Renji who her partner was!
"He told me so," Renji replied as he ate his breakfast.
"… Oh," said Tsugi as she stuffed the last bit of her sandwich into her mouth. Well, that shouldn't be surprising considering that Renji and Yukimura were close friends.
Renji finished up his meal and checked the time. It was only 45 minutes past 7.
"Do you want to go for a morning jog together?" Renji asked, wiping the corners of his mouth with a napkin.
"And a match after that?" She suggested.
"Of course."
~x~
After an hour-long jog, Renji and Tsugi stood on the opposite ends of a street tennis court.
"Smooth or rough?" Renji asked as he held his racquet with the tip against the floor of the court.
"Smooth sounds lucky to me today," Tsugi replied as she held her racquet in her arms. Renji spun the racquet and it landed after a few seconds.
The tail of the racquet showed an upright 'Y'.
"Your serve," Renji's voice came airily as he picked up his racquet and walked to the middle of the baseline in his half of the court.
Tsugi could feel her heartbeat speeding up in her chest – she was getting excited. It wasn't everyday she got to play against someone who was entitled the 'Master' – well, technically speaking, she could if she wanted to, since she saw him everyday. But it would be silly to challenge the Data Master every alternate day. Tsugi took a ball out of her pocket and got into her stance. Her right leg was tucked behind her left and she lowered her body slightly. In her left hand, she held the ball. "Well, here I go then."
Thwack. The ball was sent off.
Renji received the ball with ease. In a powerful swing, his racquet made contact with the ball and sent it off towards the other edge of the court from where Tsugi was standing. It seemed nearly impossible for Tsugi to reach it – but she did. However, she lost the first point after receiving Renji's first return, because Renji volleyed her return before she had any time to react.
"Love – 15," Tsugi recited the score as she watched Renji flex the strings of his racquet. "Hmm… Honestly, even without your Data Tennis you're a fearsome opponent."
Tsugi had only ever played two matches against Renji, the most recent one being two years ago so it couldn't be his Data Tennis that was enabling him to return so swiftly. It was his physique. "Alright, let's move this game a tier up."
The atmosphere changed quickly when Tsugi got serious. Her forest-green eyes hardened as she pressed her lips tightly together. She served the ball again – this time, it was a low serve. Renji returned it, but he noticed that something was weird when Tsugi hit the ball back again. The sound of the wind was a little different, which prompted him to open his eyes and observe his surroundings. Renji stopped for a moment.
Shadows. There were shadows everywhere.
Thousands of shadows were seen on Renji's side of the court, each seemingly portending the falling spot of a ball – but there was only one ball, which was whizzing towards him. The shadows were clustering his court, like the craters on the surface of the moon. Some round shadows even made contact with Renji's own shadow; it was truly a queer feeling.
Thump!
While Renji was distracted, the ball had already bounced out of the court.
"15 all, Renji," Tsugi gave Renji a huge grin.
"Interesting, what's that move called?" Renji seemed to glow as a quaint smile played on his lips.
"San chikage(Three Thousand Shadows). Try and break my serve game, Renji," Tsugi lightly teased as she prepared to serve again.
It didn't take Renji long to figure out the technique behind San chikage. By the time the score got to 40-15, Renji reversed the situation again. Without alerting his opponent, Renji sent the ball back into Tsugi's court right on the baseline, catching her by surprise.
Thump!
"40 – 30. That was fast," Tsugi commented half-heartedly. As expected of Renji, he wouldn't be a regular of Rikkai Dai boys tennis team if he wasn't so sharp.
"It isn't hard to figure that out. There's only one ball," Renji replied.
That was right. The fatal loophole of San chikage lied in the fact that the ball cannot be replicated. One only needed to focus on the ball and ignore all the shadows to return the ball.
"Well then… I'll end it with this. Borei no Sasayaki (The Spectre's Whisper)," Tsugi changed her posture. She bent her knees and leaned back slightly, spinning the ball before she served. Renji was watching her intently, not missing any part of her movement. The ball dived towards him, it should have been an easy serve to return but he didn't move. Was it his imagination? Because he could have sworn that he heard someone sighing beside his ears…
Whoosh. The little green ball glided over his left shoulder, the humming sound it left behind resembling a sigh left him stumped for a moment. That moment was enough for the ball to collide with the ground and bounce right out of his court.
"Game, Yanagi Asaitsugi, 1 game to love," Tsugi flashed a radiant smile at Renji, her face scintillating with overflowing brilliance.
The match ended 6-2, with Tsugi on the losing end. Renji held all his serve games while Tsugi managed to guard her second serve game, but her third and subsequent serve games were broken.
"As I thought, I'm not good enough yet," Tsugi sighed as she took a sip of the isotonic drink Renji had bought for the two of them.
"You need to work on your basics. Your posture is a bit off," said Renji as he drank from his bottle. Even though they both didn't go full out on each other, the fact that Tsugi could hold her serve game against him told him enough about her tennis skill. Not to mention that she managed to get him serious during her last serve game when she used that.
"I understand," Tsugi nodded and took her mobile phone out of her tennis bag. There was a new message from Yukimura. "Oh, it's already 10 o'clock," She murmured as she opened Yukimura's message. After reading, a flick of surprise ran through her eyes and she looked at the time again.
"Renji, I think we should head home," Tsugi ran a hand through her hair and she sighed dramatically. "Yukimura-san arrived a little early at our house."
"Arrived?" Renji detected the past tense, a sense of alarm rising in his chest. "When did he arrive?"
"Judging from the time this message was sent… I would say when we were halfway into our match," Tsugi waved her phone in front of Renji's face.
There was an eerie silence in the air. Renji had an ominous feeling looming in his heart. Chance of training multiplying by the number of minutes – no, seconds Yukimura had stood outside the Yanagi residence? 101%.
~x~
From far, Renji and Tsugi could see a blue-haired boy leaning on the wall in front of their house. Even in a modern setting, Yukimura looked like a prince out of a classical fairytale.
"Sorry for the wait, Yukimura-san. Renji and I were out for a morning exercise," Tsugi apologized as they walked up to Yukimura.
"No, it's not your fault," Yukimura flashed his pearly-whites at the two cousins, not a hint of displeasure in his tone – but Renji knew better. It wasn't Tsugi's fault because Yukimura would count this upon him instead. With a stoic expression, Renji unlocked the door and stood aside for the two to enter first. Tsugi entered, followed by Yukimura, and finally Renji. Renji gave Yukimura a pair of slippers which was fresh from the packaging.
Renji excused himself and went up to his room, leaving Yukimura and Tsugi in the living room. Tsugi poured him a cup of apple juice and went upstairs to retrieve the Art materials, as well as to take a quick shower. When Tsugi returned downstairs, she saw Yukimura browsing through the Monthly Pro Tennis magazine she had carelessly left on the coffee table that morning.
She remembered that there was a report featuring the potential stars in this year's National Tournament, and Yukimura was at the top of the list. In fact, he made in onto the cover page. She wondered how it felt to be reading a report about oneself. Was it something fulfilling, amusing or creepy? Her lips curled a little at that thought. Well, Yukimura's expression was none of the above – he was just calm.
"Here are the materials, Yukimura-san. Please check if I purchased the right items," Tsugi put the plastic bag down onto the table and plopped down on the sofa. She sat cross-legged in Red Indian style.
"That wouldn't be necessary," Yukimura put down the magazine and laid the items out in front of them. "Shall we begin?"
"Of course, Yukimura-san."
It was a peaceful afternoon at the Yanagi's.
Because of the Art project, Tsugi not only miraculously scored a B for Art, but she also found herself a new friend.