I would like to give my gratitude to Xrucious and Lura Elsworth who reviewed :) This is the final instalment of the training camp. It's a bit rushed, because I feel that it had been dragged on for far too long.

*Updated* 2/8/13 final version. :)

At here, I have an important announcement to make: Dearies, this humble writer here is going MIA until December, because my graduation exams are coming up in November. It's really important for me to do well this time since it is decisive of my future. I could be screwed up big time if I flunk so update will be slow, like really, seriously slow from now on. There wouldn't be any fixed time for updates, so yups.

Higher than the Wind

Training Camp (3)

All of a sudden, a menacing growl was heard from deep within the forests.

Hanashitari looked thrown off for a moment. He turned his head towards the direction where the growl came from and his eyes bulged immediately, piquing the curiosity of the rest. Most of the people craned their necks, trying to get a view of what was in Hanashitari's vision.

Their queries were soon answered by the burly Asian black bear which emerged from the shadows, and which was fast making its way towards them.

Several of the girls' faces blanched.

"What are you people standing rooted to the ground for!? Are you waiting for the bear to pummel you to the ground? Disperse already!" Hanashitari barked out frantically and urged them to take to their heels.

Before they processed his words in their minds, their bodies reacted spontaneously to Hanashitari's commands.

If only they weren't so used to following every order and command of the coaches at this camp, if only they had a moment to think through the entire situation, if only, if only…

But they didn't, and it was only when everyone was separated from each other that they realized the previous ordeal was so wrong on every single level.

To begin with, sure, they were up on some unknown mountain and god knows what dwells these forests but – if they had even been paying the least bit of attention during Geography class, they would know that Asian black bears belonged to the Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku areas. As much as this place was secluded, it was still within the boundary of the Kanagawa province. Asian black bears certainly didn't belong to Kanagawa.

Next, even if bears did exist in Kanagawa, surely they have entered their denning period by now, unless, they had been lied to by their Biology teachers. Bears were famous for being capable of staying within their dens for about a hundred days and being able to go without food, water and egestion during the entire period.

Furthermore, Hanashitari did mention that this was a man-made jungle no? Even by the most twisted judgment criteria, they couldn't see how the ferocious Asian black bear could fall under the category of 'tame' and 'non-aggressive'. If you were talking about 'tame', they would expect something like ground squirrels. Now that was tame.

Lastly, and most importantly, it was so wrong on every level for Hanashitari to urge them to disperse instead of making them stay together under a bear attack. Wasn't it more dangerous for them to recklessly barge into the forests —alone, nonetheless— if bears did exist here?

In conclusion, to sum everything up, they had been played for a fool.

~x~

"Good job, Wakanari! I knew you would make for a good bear!" Hanashitari pat the back of the stout creature and the bear responded by slapping his hand away with its paws.

"We speak a common language, do we not? How many times must I tell you not to touch me?" Wakanari, who was hidden in the bear suit hissed. He took his headgear off and glowered at Hanashitari.

"Now, now, let's not have any infighting please. Good job guys! Now all we have to do is to wait till dawn arrives," Yumi popped out from behind a nearby tree with a wide grin plastered to her face, Minori was by her side.

"Did we get their indemnity forms?" Minori suddenly asked. This was a crucial question. Even though they have equipped them with a rescue package, there was bound to be some fools who fail to notice the life-saving equipment bestowed upon them.

"This is me we are talking about; of course I had them sign it!" Hanashitari put a hand to his chest and declared proudly. "Got their signature right before dinner yesterday night." Those poor, unsuspecting souls who were driven by their hunger… It took him a little more effort to get past Yukimura's hawk-like eyes, but nobody could elude the Hanashitari.

Minori nodded, for once, Hanashitari had made himself useful.

"Shall we turn in for the night?" Yumi asked cheerfully, not the least bit remorseful about throwing her juniors out into the forests.

"Let's go."

~x~

So this was what they were plotting. Yukimura furrowed his eyebrows and massaged his temples. Petty shameful that his body reacted on will before his brain processed the situation… this was unacceptable. There were so many loopholes in their conspiracy, but despite everything he gullibly walked straight into their trap.

He simply must play a match against those seniors before the camp ended. Yukimura's lips curled into an elegant smile that was oddly intimidating. (Back in the hostel, the four conspirators sneezed simultaneously and exchanged perplexed looks.)

But that wouldn't be now; he should focus on finding a shelter for the night which was a much more critical affair at the moment. The problem was, where should he start? Yukimura frowned deeply, already regretting that he didn't do his research before embarking on this training camp. They had better be prepared to endure his wrath. He thought wryly, as he began to search for a place to put up for the night.

~x~

Tsugi wouldn't believe it if it wasn't already weaved into reality. Her flawless sense of direction which had always served her so well actually failed her? Tsugi stared at her surroundings. Trees and more trees, there were no signature objects she could use to guide herself. She took a deep breath to calm herself, Don't lose your cool, Asaitsugi. Stay calm and nothing will daunt you. Her pulse steadied and she made a decision to open her backpack to check what she was equipped with for the night. With only a teeny bit of hope in mind that the seniors had left them something useful – Tsugi was relieved to find three very practical items inside: a hot water bottle that was about a quarter full, a sleeping bag and torchlight. Sure, these were bare basic necessities, but at least this proved that it wasn't an impromptu decision on the seniors' part seeing that they didn't throw them out to the wolves without arming them at all.

But just how well could she survive a winter night in the wilderness, not to mention without a winter coat of any form? She shivered as a chilly wind raged by. If she had known that they were going to be left stranded in the forests, she would have put on a jacket.

Now, she was freezing. Her train of thoughts was broken by the sudden rustling of the bush which perked her ears. Nervously, she glanced at the direction where the noise came from and her eyes were nailed to the silhouette which was slowing emerging from the shadows.

She blinked when she identified the person who stepped out of the shadows.

"Sanada-san?" Tsugi was slightly surprised when she saw the onyx-haired teenage boy. Even though they had spent a considerable amount of their summer holiday together preparing for the Ocean Festival, their relationship had seen no improvement. Sanada was in all honesty a hard nut to crack; in fact the challenge was probably on par with breaking down the walls around Yukimura Seiichi.

"Hn," He scoffed; displeasure evident in his tone when he saw that it had been Tsugi in the area. Most people weren't acutely aware of it, but Sanada was a closet male chauvinist, it just wasn't explicitly shown. He disliked girls because they were so wimpy, there hadn't been a girl who was able to keep her cool in front of him. There were two things that girls ever did around the 'Emperor'. They either swooned at the sight of him, or they evaded him like he was an epidemic. Fortunately for Sanada, most girls were of the latter. Even Tsugi, the one who had been acknowledged by Yukimura, had been frightened of him when they were given the lead roles of the skit. He couldn't understand how this girl managed to make an impression on Yukimura. As far as Sanada could tell, Tsugi just seemed like another typical teenage girl if they overlooked her kinship with Renji.

Usually, Tsugi would retaliate against the people who speak to her in such a patronizing manner but because it was Sanada, Tsugi felt queerly privileged that he even graced her with a 'Hn'. The 'Emperor' didn't speak to girls anymore than necessary, so even a 'Hn' was considered severely uncharacteristic of Sanada Genichirou.

… Was she becoming a masochist or something? Tsugi was unsure about herself.

If only Tsugi knew about Sanada's male superiority complex, even if she didn't flip the table at him, she would have made it her moral imperative to give him the cold shoulder.

"Umm… Would you like to move about together? Two is always better than one…" Under normal circumstances, Tsugi would have avoided Sanada. She couldn't explain why but Sanada's hostility towards girls has made her somewhat petrified of him. It was odd, because Tsugi wasn't scared easily. But Sanada, she supposed, just seemed to possess the uncanny ability to strike fear within the mind of all who laid eyes on him. However, desperate situations called for desperate measures (honestly, that wasn't a very apt quote was it?), so with a grim smile on her face, Tsugi bravely put the proposal forward to Sanada.

With a slow, almost languid nod, Sanada gave his approval. Just like all other male chauvinists out there, Sanada practiced some kind of medieval code of chivalry. He thought of women as weak, but he believed that they should be protected by men as well. Even if Tsugi had not made the request, he would have stuck with Tsugi since he had already found her.

Upon seeing Tsugi shiver a little when the wind blew by, Sanada grudgingly pulled his jersey over his head and threw it at Tsugi who instinctively caught it in her arms.

"Wear it, I'm not cold," Sanada sniffed; his tone flat as per normal.

Tsugi was surprised by his considerate act. After all, the ruthless image of Sanada as the dictator of the boys tennis club had already been engraved in her mind. Just imagine Hitler walking about the street and smiling to babies; surely one would be baffled. Tsugi peered carefully at Sanada, but he had already averted his gaze and didn't seem like he wanted to exchange another word with her. Even though he donned a harsh image, Sanada was genuinely a kind soul at his core wasn't he? Tsugi didn't know that her interpretation of Sanada was a far fetch from reality, but her conclusion had been right. Beyond the tyrannical character he played in his club, Sanada was implicitly a nice person.

"Thank you, Sanada-san," Tsugi smiled lightly at the boy before putting his jersey on.

"Follow me," Sanada habitually barked out an order at Tsugi. Having served as the antagonist (on the surface, at least) of the two leaders of the boys tennis club, this harsh persona was already ingrained within his blood.

Tsugi obeyed.

An hour and a half had passed since Sanada chanced upon Tsugi and since then, Tsugi had been following Sanada who appeared to be playing as a valiant scout mapping out a forest in preparation for the upcoming war – yes, as strange as it sounded, this was euphemism. If Tsugi had put it straightforwardly, Sanada was wandering around aimlessly.

"Um, Sanada-san…" Tsugi began hesitantly, "might I ask what you are searching for?"

Sanada paused in his steps, and he turned around to face Tsugi's forest-green eyes with his sharp black orbs. Tsugi, after experiencing Yukimura's piercing stare was unfazed by Sanada's intimidating look. Sanada was slightly surprised when the victim of his death stare didn't flinch as he had hoped she will, but he didn't show it.

"Shelter," He replied curtly. Upon receiving Tsugi's confused look, he unwillingly added on, "something like a cave, or open area where we can rest for the night."

"… Sanada-san, have you checked your backpack?" Tsugi asked.

"No, why would you ask?" Sanada furrowed his eyebrows, finding himself unable to catch up to her train of thoughts.

"I believe that there should be a sleeping bag in your backpack…" Tsugi watched as Sanada's expression darkened. Clearly the 'Emperor' had overlooked the backpack which he was given. He checked his backpack and true to Tsugi's words, in there laid a new sleeping bag which he recognized as the latest model in the sports equipment shop. With this sleeping bag, it wouldn't matter even if they slept in rocks and mud because the outer layer of the sleeping bag was designed such that it would be able to absorb any impact.

How was this a test of their adaptability and resourcefulness if they equipped them with such a sleeping bag? Sanada leered at the objects scattered about in the humongous backpack. Were the seniors pulling their legs? Then again, most people wouldn't even think about checking their backpacks until they reach the most adverse circumstance so perhaps this backpack was something like a rescue package or something.

Tsugi watched as Sanada's expression transited from ominous back to indifferent once more.

"We'll settle down here tonight," Sanada announced. Tsugi looked at Sanada. Despite the situation she was in, Tsugi felt a little… amused.

"Alright, Sanada-san."

The rest of the night was spent quietly, and the two of them didn't speak another word to each other.

~x~

When dawn came about, the four high school seniors carried out a search-and-rescue operation. Yukimura was probably the only one who really passed the test, he managed to find a cave and put up in it for the night. Hanashitari and Wakanari nodded at him in approval, this is precisely what they are looking for in the captain of the tennis club. By the sheer force of (bad) luck, the four nemesis slash doubles partners – Yagyuu, Nio, Himeko and Rei bumped into each other in the forests and spent the night clawing at each other's face. When the seniors found them, they were beat. Sanada and Tsugi were probably the most decent; they were found nestled beneath a huge tree and comfortably tucked into the sleeping bags. A few others had also discovered the emergency rescue package they were given before they were kicked out of the hostel and breezed through the night. The rest of the people were found with varied degrees of cold bites and Kichi was knocked out cold. Luckily, nobody was severely injured. Kichi was tended to by the resident doctor who was hired specifically for the camp and she soon regained consciousness.

Yukimura's reaction when he heard that Sanada and Tsugi spent the night together was very ambiguous. He responded with a mysterious smile, showing no sign of jealousy or anger towards his best friend and alleged scandal. Didn't he harbor affection for Tsugi? Why does he seem so relaxed when she's possibly cheating on him? Shouldn't he be more aggressive towards Sanada and glower at his lover? The seniors were once again perturbed by Yukimura, and a little disappointed that they weren't going to witness any show.

After dealing with the ill and the injured, those who used items from the emergency rescue package were gathered at the courts and were forced to undergo extra practice while the rest had a day off. Having attuned to the vigorous training program, fifty laps around the base of the mountain was really not much of a challenge. If those who were punished were surveyed, they would have said that the fifth day was the most relaxing day at the camp.

~x~

The sixth day was an interesting day. Today, they were going to play matches, but it wasn't the conventional kind of matches; they were going to be playing mixed doubles. Just like the second night, they were made to get into boy-girl pairs. The seniors got even more confused when Yukimura still paired up with Tsugi. Was he really that magnanimous to let it slip? This was adultery (?) they were talking about! (They voluntarily overlooked the fact that they didn't even verify whether Yukimura was dating Tsugi in the first place.)

Hanashitari had a wicked glint in his eyes. After hearing about the scandal which was going around, he devised a ploy in his mind. One has to find his own joy in life no? Hanashitari's joy lied in stirring up drama in other people's lives. He rubbed his palms together like a maniacal wizard carrying out a perverse experiment, and he made a loud announcement.

"First up, we have the Yukimura-Yanagi pair versus the Sanada-Izumi pair! Both pairs enter court A please!"

The tension in the air was so thick that it could be sliced with a knife – well, it should be in theory, at least. In reality, Yukimura daintily picked up his racquet and rose with grace from his seat, nodding affirmatively at Tsugi who appeared a little nervous to be pitched against her captain. Hana twitched a little from being wrapped up in the drama. She looked at Sanada who had an expression on his face that said he was by no means looking for a loss, that realization dispelled the frown on her face and the two of them walked side-by-side into the court. Hana smoothed the wrinkles on the pleats of her skirt and she tilted her head as she looked at the two first years before her.

Yukimura Seiichi, the 'Child of God' whom had never dropped a game.

Yanagi Asaitsugi, the first year she holds high anticipations for.

This was bound to be an interesting match. A small smile surfaced on Hana's face as she extended her hand to exchange a handshake with Tsugi.

"Let's play to our hearts' content, Tsugi-chan."

"Yes, captain," Tsugi nodded almost a little too heavily.

"I definitely won't lose, Yukimura," Sanada warned.

"You will never get a ball past me," Yukimura calmly replied. If not for his seraphic smile, one would have no doubt that he was provoking Sanada on purpose. Sanada's stone-cold expression faltered a little, but he soon regained his composure. After the symbolic handshake ritual, the four of them turned to get into their positions.

"One set match, Izumi Hana to serve!" Minori, who was serving as the umpire announced as soon as she saw that they were ready.

Hana exchanged a look with Sanada before serving. Typical of a serve-and-volley player, she did a topspin serve. It wasn't a difficult ball to return. Tsugi received the ball and attempted to send it flying towards the baseline. Hana, who didn't as much flinch, quickly approached the net and smashed the ball back into the other side of the court. The ball evaded Tsugi, but she didn't panic.

Yukimura appeared like a phantom behind her, and with a powerful swing of his racquet, the ball was sent sailing towards the left side of the baseline.

This was when Sanada reacted, like a whirlwind, he approached the ball and hit it right back at Tsugi.

Sanada's power shot wasn't something Tsugi could return at the moment.

"Duck, Yanagi," Tsugi instinctively followed Yukimura's instruction. She moved aside and Yukimura took her place. His racquet made contact with the ball just in time, and looking at how the strings of his racquet were stretched, Tsugi was glad that she listened to Yukimura. Her lack of power had always been a weakness she had tactfully kept hidden from her opponents, but Yukimura, with his sharp insight had noticed it instantly when she played on the courts.

Thump!

Not only did Yukimura return the ball, but he also sent it back at such an odd angle that Hana and Sanada failed to reach it.

"Love – 15," Minori recorded.

"Relax, Yanagi. I'll catch all the balls that elude you, so just play as you'd like," Yukimura smiled encouragingly at Tsugi. He noticed that she had been tense ever since the match was announced; this was certainly below her normal maneuver.

His smile, like always served as a remedy to her nervous fits.

"Alright then, Yukimura. I'll be counting on you to back me up," Tsugi wore a light smile on her lips and she said in a playful manner, suddenly blushing again when she realized how similar this was to what she had said at the skit. But shy as she was still, she had worked past that hurdle and she will not let it get into her way again. Tsugi never allows herself to be stumped by the same obstacle twice; it simply didn't align with what she demanded upon herself. To Tsugi, it was okay for her to stumble and fall, but falling twice at the same location was unacceptable. That was a belief she subscribed strongly to.

After the short interaction between Yukimura and Tsugi, Sanada and Hana noticed that the game was moved several tiers up.

Tsugi was really playing at her very best, few balls got past her defense and Hana, a volley-style player herself found it difficult to keep up to Tsugi's speed. Without much resistance on the Sanada-Izumi pair's side, Yukimura and Tsugi took 4 games quickly and they were on their way to claim their 5th when Sanada awakened the beast within him. Sanada's speed and power increased noticeably, and Tsugi was slowly being pushed back from the net. This spelled opportunity for Sanada and Hana, and Hana managed to score their first point against Yukimura-Yanagi by using a drop shot which she was still experimenting with. It was to her luck that it worked.

"15-40, Yukimura-Yanagi lead," Minori stated briefly. This was Hana's serve game, and they were at break point. Would the Yukimura-Yanagi pair succeed in breaking her serve game once again? Minori observed the four closely through metallic-grey eyes. In all honesty, she wasn't so sure. Even though she saw potential in Yanagi Asaitsugi, and Yukimura Seiichi has made his name as the 'Child of God', Sanada Genichirou and Izumi Hana were also strong players.

Yukimura called for timeout, which Minori approved.

"Would you like to switch position with me?" Yukimura asked Tsugi as they sipped from their water bottles.

"No please, Yukimura. Please let me work this out," Tsugi bit her lips, she knew she was being painfully stubborn, but this was an inherent trait of hers. She hated giving up when she was faced with a challenge. She looked at Yukimura tentatively, not wishing to see irritation in those deep blue pools.

Quite on the contrary, Yukimura was smiling faintly at her.

"I understand. What I said still holds, any ball that eludes you, I'll return it on your behalf. The previous ball was an accident, and it will not be repeated. Just focus on finding your breakthrough point, Yanagi. Don't bother yourself with the rest; I'll take care of everything else," This was the most Yukimura had ever said to Tsugi in a single response. His eyes were fraught with understanding and genuine admiration, nothing close to irritation of any sort. Tsugi felt the heavy load in her heart being lifted, and her heart momentarily skipped a beat when Yukimura looked at her with those hypnotizing blue orbs.

"Thank you very much, Yukimura," Tsugi said softly.

Yukimura shook his head.

"Return to the court right now," Minori's voice echoed across the court, signaling that their time was up.

Just like what Yukimura said, any ball that got past Tsugi was returned by him. Sanada played on with dogged determination, and Hana too refused to give in. They focused their attack on Tsugi, who was the apparent weaker one in the pair, but with each ball that was returned, Sanada and Hana realized that Tsugi was also improving and becoming a much harder nut to chow.

Rather than panicking over Tsugi's improvement, the premature idea in Hana's head was fortified and she began perceiving Tsugi in a different light. Being distracted by the thought in her mind, Hana was caught off guard for a moment and because Sanada wasn't expecting Hana to miss such an easy shot, they lost the 5th game.

She did it! Tsugi's face brightened and she turned to look at her partner who nodded affirmatively at her, even though he noticed that Hana was a little distracted, the fact that Tsugi earned the score was indisputable. She was evolving in the match, and that was truly a precious trait in a player.

"Game, Yukimura-Yanagi, 5 games to love," It would seem that the match is already decided. The next game was Yukimura's serve game and as far as she knew, nobody had ever succeeded in breaking Yukimura Seiichi's serve game.

True to her prediction, the final game ended with no-touch aces despite Sanada and Hana's best efforts to salvage the situation.

"Game and match to Yukimura-Yanagi, 6 games to love!"

Once again, the 'Child of God' had left the court with an untarnished record. As the rest of Rikkai's tennis club watched his jersey billow in the wind, they wondered: who would be the one to pummel this divine being to the ground and displace him from his altar? Would it even be possible? They were highly skeptical that there existed anyone who was skillful enough to defeat Yukimura Seiichi.

Their doubts were justifiable, because Yukimura Seiichi was the closest person to being deified in a school where geniuses were no rarer than cabbages in a farm, and the 3 matches Yukimura had played against the high school seniors afterwards only served to reinforce their assessment.

Yukimura won in straight sets, even when he was taking on the Katsuchino-Haruno duo which was hailed as the best doubles pair in the history of Rikkai's female tennis club. All four of them displayed a common state when they played against Yukimura: they appeared to be distraught. Not only were they shaking their heads senselessly, their eyes were void and their pupils were focused on nothing. It was as if... It was as if their souls were sucked out from them.

It was on that day the Rikkai tennis club realized, Yukimura Seiichi's tennis was truly something to be feared.

~x~

On the final night, there was no practice. Instead, the seniors made a bonfire.

"A round of applause to yourself for having survived this training camp! Having surmounted the challenge before you, you can now soar to greater heights and blaze Rikkai Dai's fame. Make the school fame your own personal agenda, believe me, it's much more fulfilling if you do that. People, remember Rikkai Dai's ambition. Our only goal is the gold. Rikkai Dai's players settle for nothing less. We are King Rikkai Dai. If you have made it through the training camp, I don't see why you can't be the champion so please, aim for the moon and only the moon! Don't ever think about landing in the stars! Pretty as they are, the one and only moon is the only thing that can match up to King Rikkai Dai," Yumi opened the event with a celebratory-cum-inspirational speech.

"Hai, Katsuchino-senpai!" Both the Rikkai boys team and girls team chorused loudly, sixteen different voices harmoniously weaved into one to form a powerful sound that reverberated through the night.

Yumi's grin widened. She had grown fond of this particular batch of boys and girls. They were just overflowing with brilliance. Not only did they have talent, but they were hardworking and undaunted by any task thrown in their way. They were simply the most amazing batch.

Hanashitari and even the nitpicking Wakanari would attest to that, they were more than satisfied by this particular batch – or perhaps she should say by the three demons of Rikkai. Even the most apathetic Wakanari was willing to put on a performance for them, and that says enough about his approval of the batch.

"Perfect! Now, Hanashitari and Wakanari have a show for ya' all so just sit back, relax and enjoy, okay?" Yumi giggled and plopped down on a flat tuff.

As Tsugi basked in the heartwarming atmosphere, she found herself falling in love with Rikkai's culture. They were the champions and they fought for victory, but at the same time, they were also people who came together and held each other through. Being a regular in Rikkai Dai went beyond merely clinching the gold. The team spirit cultivated was something that should be held dearly to, perhaps more than victory because good team spirit groomed good sportsmen, and Rikkai Dai wanted to look beyond merely securing today's championship – because the school's agenda was to groom livelong champions.

It was only at that moment, Tsugi felt like she had truly found her place within Rikkai Dai Fuzoku. Maybe, just maybe… She would have much more to look forward to in second year.

Like I said, it was rushed because this had seriously dragged on for far too long... Might get around to editing this and inserting more details if I found the push to.. Thanks for reading to the end here :)