Thanks for everyone's support :) Inevitable clichéd plot development due to character background is all I have to say… But this chapter is fun. Really fun. I find that I rather have the (self-proclaimed) potential to write comedies. Perhaps I should work towards that direction in future.

This generation of Rikkai Dai girls team is being introduced for a reason. I'm going to take my inexistent tennis, pathetic bio and mediocre physics knowledge and shamelessly challenge an OC team fanfic and yes, Rikkai Dai is the chosen school O_O why haven't anyone written a Rikkai Dai girls team before? In the new story, I will be using a different writing style. –cough- yes, this is an advertisement… -shifty eyes-

Song: 愛の歌2010

To Guest: Originally, Inui was supposed to make an analysis about their future offspring. However, I decided to do away with the idea when I remembered that they are just 14, 15 year old teenagers. It's a bit early to talk about kids and marriage… but I'll think about the future profession part :)

To A fan: I got a burst of ego. Thanks for your loving support!

Higher than the Wind

Challenge Letter and Departure

"Senpai, I really don't think that this is a good idea…" Heitenshirou Sayuki – the only second year on the girls tennis team this year – murmured, obviously reluctant to follow through with her seniors' crazy plans.

"Pardon me, Sayuki, but I don't think I quite caught what you were saying," Leiko glanced at the amethyst-eyed second year, the lenses of the former's frameless spectacles eerily gleamed under the Sun.

"… Never mind, forget that I ever said anything – no, I did not say anything," Sayuki stiffened, subconsciously straightening her back. Leiko was the number one person she was afraid of on the team – right next to the captain.

"I refuse," Jyuuseiya Nisaki stated tersely, "Chisaki, we are leaving." The violet-haired girl called out to her electric blue-haired doubles partner, grabbed her tennis bag and made her way towards the exit.

"Sorry, I'll make sure that Nisaki turns up on that day!" Fujiwara Chisaki put her hands together and apologized on Nisaki's behalf. She briskly picked up her own stuffs, and hurried after Nisaki.

"Eh… I don't know, I think it's a good idea and all but umm, don't you think that we are being a little reckless?" Kichi voiced her doubts, common sense told her that it'd be unwise to rope herself into this, "I mean, he is the 'Child of God'. Right, Penelope?" Kichi turned hopefully to her blonde teammate, but little did she know that she has made the worst choice in selecting her ally.

"This sounds plan like," Penelope Russette suddenly spoke up, baby blue eyes shimmering with crystal flames in the depths of her sapphire orbs. Being an exchange student from abroad, she frequently had grammar errors in her speech, "I think it be good experience!"

Penelope! How could you agree so easily!? Kichi wailed inwardly.

"Hmm… Count me in," Naomi consented, mind deep in thoughts as she conspired against Yukimura Seiichi. She would make it her moral imperative to give him one hell of a match.

Naomi as well? Kichi mourned as she gazed at her green-haired hot-tempered teammate through teary eyes, that'd mean that she was the only one left sitting on the fence!

Kichi fell into a tug-o-war in her mind. Loyalty. Life. Loyalty. Life. Loyalty. Loyalty.

… There was no escape, was there? Kichi buried her face in her hands when the wheel of fate stopped, and she stayed in the same posture for a moment before she looked up with a (nearly) determined look.

'I'm in, too…" A pathetic squeak unlike the heroic expression on her face came out of Kichi's mouth.

Something snapped at the back of her mind.

Thwack.

Kichi shivered. She knew she was going to regret this.

"Then it's decided. After I've charted out the full plan, I'll contact everyone again," Leiko pretended to be unaware of Kichi's inner struggles and adjusted her spectacles, "This meeting is now adjourned, please, stay tuned for further notice."

~x~

Yukimura received a surprise today. When he entered classroom, he was greeted by the sight of a piece of paper which was folded twice placed on his desk.

He'd have mistaken it as a confession letter; he had received plenty of those since his return after all since first years weren't aware of his previously ambiguous and now confirmed relationship status with Tsugi, if it wasn't placed under a tennis ball which acted as a paperweight.

A challenge letter. How nice. He ran a finger down the length of the velvety paper. On top of that, this was a challenge letter not likely addressed to him from Kirihara. Now wasn't that interesting?

Deftly, Yukimura picked up the paper and held it between his slender fingers, he then nodded; there was no doubt. This letter free of creases and matched edge to edge could never be from Kirihara.

He unfolded the letter, and the handwriting itself proved his hypothesis. The text this time round was not only free of grammatical errors but written in an aesthetically-pleasing calligraphic font, each stroke was nailed down to perfection like it was typewritten.

As he ran through the contents and confirmed the identity of the sender, Yukimura's lips slowly curled into a brilliant smile rivalling the blinding white rays of the Sun outside of the window.

… The fifteen degrees up-curling of Yukimura's lips once heard of only in myths and legend was live once more.

Still smiling, he put the paper down and glanced in the direction of the courts – wistfully.

If this was a belated welcome back gift… then this was undoubtedly his favourite present to date.

~x~

"Welcome, Yukimura-san," Leiko greeted Yukimura when he arrived. What she really wanted to say, in fact, was 'your bravery is laudable'. Either that, or he was simply too arrogant.

"You leave me little choices, Yoshikawa-san," replied Yukimura, a genuine, absolutely unnerving mirthful smile adorning his handsome countenance.

Leiko felt a chill running down her spine. She never thought about concealing their true agenda –it was only going to be fruitless deception anyway– but having Yukimura burst it in her face was a little over the edge even for her. It made her feel severely uneasy. She averted her eyes to masquerade over any abnormalities and gestured towards the court, "Please come this way."

The relaxed expression on Yukimura's face gave her the wrong impression that he was the one who initiated this instead of them. No, what was she thinking? She mustn't let her morale fall before the battle even began.

"The nation's number one girls tennis team…" said Yukimura out of the blue, causing Leiko to turn and study him cautiously, "Oh, it's nothing." He assured her in a very unconvincing voice.

Leiko appraised him from head to toes, suspicion flickering in her cyan-coloured eyes behind transparent lenses. Her tense expression only seeped away when she saw the 'Saki-duo' –Chisaki and Nisaki– standing at the edge of the court, albeit the unwillingness carved on the face of the purple-haired girl. Leiko's lips curled up marginally.

The more the merrier – and the greater the probability of success. Leiko turned around to Yukimura, tiny smile a tad too uncharacteristically bright, and she said, "Welcome, Yukimura-san."

Leiko briefly introduced the team to Yukimura. Vice versa was unnecessary, Yukimura was a celebrity in school.

After ensuring that everyone was present, Leiko turned to Yukimura and said, "Thank you for taking the time to practice with us, Yukimura-san. We will begin with our Doubles 2 – Penelope and Wakanari, followed by Doubles 1 – Jyuuseiya and Fujiwara, Singles 3 – Yamatari-fukubuchou, Singles 2 – myself and finally Singles 1 – Sayuki. The practice will be carried out in tournament style, but even if one side wins 3 matches out of 5 before all 5 matches are played, we will continue playing until all matches are finished. Is that alright with you?"

This was what was stated in the challenge letter – no, correction, invitation letter. Leiko merely decided to repeat it as a kind reminder.

"I have no objection," Yukimura nodded and walked into the court, "We can begin anytime your Doubles 2 is ready."

… Maybe they should stop. No. Leiko shook the thought off – the gears had been started, there was no ground for retreat. She gave the cue for Penelope and Naomi to enter the court, and signalled to Sayuki who was acting as the umpire to commence the match.

"One set match, Yukimura Seiichi to serve!" Sayuki made a customary air slice gesture and announced.

With that, the showdown between the Rikkai Dai girls tennis team and the 'Child of God' began.

~x~

Yukimura Seiichi was a beast. Undoubtedly. Leiko stared at the blue-haired tennis captain who was playing against their trump card, Sayuki, and oppressing her like an adult teasing a kid; took several deep breaths which did nothing to alleviate her irregular breathing pattern, and finally pinched her forehead with a sigh of defeat.

Barely two and a half hours had passed since the inception of this unofficial tournament and Yukimura had already cleared everyone out in straight sets. Some of them gave him a bit of challenge, like Nisaki and Chisaki, but in the end – nobody was able to even make him drop a game. They were Japan's number one middle school girls team for goodness's sake and Yukimura just… just thrashed the entire team like that. What else could account for that except he was a monster? Leiko could see why he was called Japan's number one now. His tennis skills were insane – was he truly 15 like the rest of them? Because he could have very well went up against a pro and smashed him to bits with a seraphic smile on his face as he did that. She could only hope that Sayuki would at least be able to clinch a game so that they could salvage their pride –

Thump!

"Game, Yukimura Seiichi, 4 games to love…" With a sullen look, Naomi spat out the score through gritted teeth and a twitch of contempt.

– Right. From the look of things, that wasn't going to happen. What on Earth was going through her mind when she came up with this plan? They were being walked over, trampled again and again by Yukimura Seiichi. Leiko gripped her fists, the only thing she was glad about now was that she didn't blow the matter up and merely made this a challenge between just Yukimura and the team. Otherwise, she'd have dug her own grave and dishonoured the team in front of the school. Now, Leiko thought seriously, how was she going to make Yukimura swear to secrecy and not let Tsugi know about this?

Unfortunately, playful Fate decided to conduct a sneak attack on Leiko.

Pat.

"Leiko, Kichi. Would you two be so kind as to fill me in on what's going on here?"

Two hands belonging to the same person landed on the shoulders of the two third years who were named.

Both the bouncy Kichi and recollected Leiko felt their blood run cold when they heard the calm voice –and the throbbing notes in the intonation– which wasn't alien to them. They exchanged a look, Leiko nodded rigidly; confirming who was holding them by their shoulder blades, and Kichi swallowed nervously in her throat.

… Shoot. Now they were dead meat.

~x~

"I apologize on my team's behalf, Seiichi," Tsugi stood in front of her team which was lined up neatly behind her and placed a hand to her temple to press her veins back down. She ran the same hand through her hair and stopped halfway when she realized that her old habit was returning to her, "I honestly don't know what to say about the troubles they have caused you... Once again, I'm really sorry, I never expected them to be so… mischievous." The corner of her mouth twitched when she used the word 'mischievous' on a bunch of 14, 15 year old girls.

These girls never act like their age. Even Leiko… the seemingly most mature of them was an imp in a sage's costume. Wrecking havocs was second nature to them but still, they were her second family and teammates.

"I rather enjoyed it, actually," Yukiimura smiled reassuringly, "The team was very…" A purposeful pause, "Friendly."

Leiko's head jerked up and she stared at the blue-haired captain. He was outright sowing discords. Here. Now. In front of the whole team. The nerve of that man. She stole a glance at the person next to her, and was relieved to find that she wasn't the only one who noticed it.

… That smile of his was so disgustingly dazzling – Leiko read from Naomi's eyes which were seething with anger. If Naomi was a dragon, Leiko believed that she would have breathed fire all over Yukimura Seiichi and roasted him whole by now.

"You don't have to cover up for them," she shook her head and tilted towards her team, "Can you go on first? I'm going to talk with them for a moment."

Here on after would be in-club discipline, while Yukimura was somewhat involved in this as well – he didn't have to listen in as Tsugi chit-chatted with her team.

"I'll wait for you in front of the school gates, I haven't walked you home in a while," Yukimura's eyes twinkled and he ruffled Tsugi's hair in an affectionate manner which further incited hatred in Naomi.

Naomi decided then.

She decided to hate Yukimura Seiichi. He was a conniving wolf who was going to devour her innocent, unsuspecting lamb of a captain whole!

The rise in temperature reached Leiko who inwardly shook her head.

Leiko could never understand why Naomi would think of Tsugi as a fragile doll who needed her protection. Yukimura may be a wolf, but Tsugi wasn't Little Red Riding Hood. Their captain was far from the defenceless child in the tale.

"Everyone," Tsugi began, drawing Leiko's attention back to Earth – oh, Yukimura Seiichi had already left, "… Can I ask the reason behind this? Leiko first." Tsugi was smiling, she looked nearly harmless enough to be called benign – nearly, but wasn't. She really wasn't pleased in the least bit this time.

"… I was curious," answered Leiko, and upon being on the receiving end of a weightless heavy glance from two green orbs, she confessed the whole story, "and bored."

"I hate Yukimura Seiichi." Brief, curt, and straight to the point. It was Naomi's fashion.

"Chisaki asked me to," Nisaki mumbled uncaringly.

"Well… I thought that it was interesting?" Chisaki played with her fingers and tried her luck with a goofy smile which never once failed to placate Tsugi. This time… was an exception. Chisaki looked down again, lips set in a pout.

"I wanted to play against Yukimura. I heard that he's number one in Japan! Captain, he's really good. He's definitely the best player I have seen since my transfer to Rikkai Dai," Penelope blurted out in her native tongue English with a bright smile. After a while she added with a thumb-up, "I approve of him!"

… Tsugi looked away from Penelope, deciding not to pass any comments on that.

"I wanted to see what kind of person buchou is… in a relationship with," Sayuki looked up at Tsugi for a brief moment and lowered her head again. Tsugi blinked, and her frown couldn't help but to dissolved by Sayuki's concern. Even though she knew that this might not be the main reason, Tsugi believed that there were elements of truth in it.

A splendid job, Sayuki. Leiko nodded inwardly. All her preaching didn't go to waste.

"I jumped on the bandwagon," Kichi looked down at the ground, feeling guilty for not stopping them.

Tsugi mulled over the gamut of reasons they churned out. Punish them? But they didn't exactly do anything which breached the club rules. There wasn't any rule that banned them from challenging the boys team's captain – it was honestly common sense. Let them off? What if they did something behind her back again? It wasn't every day that she'd make a detour after council meeting and happen to chance upon their mischief. The veins on her temples twitched, portending an incoming migraine.

She pressed her lips together. "It can't be helped since it already happened… don't do anything reckless like this again, alright? The boys team's captain may be willing to entertain your…" Tsugi gave up on trying to find a suitable word from her limited bank of vocabulary for their action, "Just don't. Or if you're planning to do something like this again, please, at least inform me."

The Rikkai Dai girls tennis team nodded obediently – nobody would be foolish enough to infuriate their captain when they have yet to be let off the hook. Their sentence had yet to arrive.

Talk (Think) about the devil.

"… Tomorrow, you will train according to Sanada's menu," Tsugi's words were akin to an atomic bomb to her regulars.

"Ehhh!?" Instinctively, they wanted to protest against their sentence. Sanada Genichirou's menu was called 'The Final Judgment' for a reason!

"I've made my decision already. Now that I reflect on myself… I really did spoil you people a tad too much," Tsugi's voice was firm, "Sanada went through the troubles of coming up with a customized training menu for us, we shouldn't let his effort go to waste," she then breathed deeply, "As punishment for failing to watch over you people… I'll be undergoing the training as well."

That sealed the deal for real.

Like wilted flowers, the team lowered their heads and looked absolutely crestfallen.

"… Yes, captain."

~x~

"I'm starting to find that Izumi-senpai's words make a lot of sense," said Tsugi as she massaged the throbbing vein on her temple.

"What did she say?" asked Yukimura, lips still set in a smile from his experience earlier on.

"That 'if you aren't a prodigy who became captain in his first year and has three whole years to establish your status, you should be prepared to apply some extreme methods to keep your team in line'."

After Hana told her that and she thought about it, she realized that Yukimura wasn't worshipped without a reason. He was a charismatic leader with the luxury of time. Rikkai Dai's tradition of keeping all regulars knuckled under the captain wasn't a natural occurrence too; in fact, the captains made conscious effort towards conquering their teams. Rikkai Dai was a school where only the strongest could climb to the top.

Yukimura laughed merrily, finding the fact that the ex-captain of the girls tennis team whom he was positive had something against him ever since she believed that he had designs (he found the term rather controversial and inaccurate) on her chosen candidate for captaincy had used him as an example in her preaching entertaining, "I see Izumi-senpai spoke highly of me."

Tsugi sighed, deciding to switch to a lighter topic, "Forget about that, Seiichi. Ah, I heard that you knew Sanada even before you entered Rikkai Dai. How long have you known each other?"

"11 years," Yukimura smiled at the fond memory he shared with Sanada.

"That's really long… What about your first meeting?"

"Sanada and I met each other at the local tennis club when we were 4," Yukimura's ocean-blue eyes became lukewarm water as he fell into a reverie, "We hit off right from the start and became good friends. Tennis wasn't just a common game for us, it was our medium of communication," Yukimura chuckled at here, "After I emerged victorious in the first match we had played together, he began challenging me every week. He was really persistent; it became a tradition for us, and before we realized, we have already become each other's best friend. The old tennis coach especially liked us and whenever we were there, he'd always take the time to teach us new techniques. He called us his best students."

"That coach must've been a huge influence on you, I suppose?" Tsugi smiled, contented with listening to Yukimura's voice and hearing his narration.

"To say that he influenced me is an understatement, he was my inspiration. When I was 9, the tennis coach told me, 'Seiichi, your potential in tennis is infinite, God gave you this talent because He wants you to achieve something. You're meant to soar higher than where the wind can take you. Keep yourself in there and in a few years' time, you'll find that even the skies are unable to contain you anymore.' His words greatly boosted my confidence, and spurred me to hone my skills in tennis in hope of pursuing a professional career in future. Even when I was selecting my middle school, I chose Rikkai Dai because Rikkai Dai boys tennis club was one of the strongest nation-wide and with my own hands, I wanted to make it the strongest. Sanada and I promised each other that we would achieve three national wins during our time in Rikkai Dai… but we didn't," He smiled at the last part, "That's alright, though, I find that victory and loss aren't – or rather, shouldn't be constituent of my tennis now." He then looked at her, teasingly, "What about you, Tsugi? How did you get into tennis? I heard from Renji that your grandfather is rather strict on the girls in your household."

"He is, but he means well," Tsugi acknowledged, beginning to share her own tale, "I was 7 when I clutched a racquet for the first time. Renji had been playing tennis for about a year already back then, so when we came back to Kanagawa to visit grandpa and grandma, grandma bought him a pair of racquets. Those were his very first racquets, and even up till now they are still stashed away in his cupboard," Tsugi giggled, a playful smugness in her tone for being aware of a secret of one of Rikkai Dai's most private persons, "Don't tell him that I told you. Renji invited me to play with him, and I was intrigued by the sport so I did. I was pretty happy when the coach at the local tennis club praised my form and couldn't believe that I didn't have any prior tennis experience. Somehow, grandpa found out and what was meant to be a trivial past-time activity blew up. It's true that grandpa is pretty strict with the upbringing of his granddaughters, and well… he didn't like me playing tennis, said that it was unbecoming of a lady. He'd much rather I spend more time on koto which I eventually dropped anyway, and perhaps because 7 is the age when a kid's rebellious nature kicks in... For the first and only time in my life, I defied grandpa."

Tsugi showed a wistful smile on her face as she reminisced on the past, "Grandpa was a little hot-tempered back then. He nearly hit me, but grandma intervened and she talked with grandpa. In the end, grandpa conceded, his conditions were that I must master koto within a year – now that I recall, I don't even know why I was trying so hard. Back then, I didn't even love tennis. Anyway, I never mastered koto and grandpa is actually really nice, he didn't mention his conditions even after a year had passed. I think for grandpa, it was enough that he saw me trying."

"Your grandpa sounds rather like Sanada's father," Yukimura commented and stopped in front of the Yanagi residence, "We're here."

"Thank you for sending me home, Seiichi," she smiled, rather glad to have shared the story. She put a hand on the gates and said, "See you in school."

Yukimura grabbed her gently by the arm, and earned an inquisitive look from Tsugi. He looked into her emerald-colored eyes and his own blue orbs twinkled with a mischievous shine. Lowering his head, he caught her by surprise by stealing a swift kiss.

"See you tomorrow, Tsugi," Yukimura pulled away and smiled innocently like nothing had happened, voice a merry jingle resembling Christmas carols. He turned and walked away, leaving Tsugi whose face had turned the shade of beetroot.

She waited until the blood retreated from her face before she unlocked the gates and entered the house.

Kirihara told her that Marui said that Yukimura and she were too friendly to each other and didn't seem like a couple; that was a fallacy. They just haven't seen them in private.

And she didn't want other people to see them in private too. At least, not now. Maybe when she got accustomed to these intimate acts… she would stop blushing in public and it'd be more acceptable. Actually, just forget it, she decided. Even if she got used to kissing her boyfriend, she didn't want to be accused of public display of affection. Hugs were acceptable, but kisses would remain private.

… Or so she hoped, because it'd seem, from the record thus far, that Yukimura has a penchant for sneak attacks. Tsugi sighed, a warm feeling in her heart, and it occurred to her that she was dating Yukimura for real.

She touched her own lips lightly and formed a smile on her face. Never had she felt closer to Yukimura, and the feeling of being in love… it wasn't too bad.

~x~

Autumn lurked past and it was winter once more. The final term had begun, and soon the third years will be set for graduation.

It was an unusual day, because Tsugi looked positively troubled. When the two tennis teams were discussing about which high school they will be applying for over lunch in the cafeteria, Tsugi hesitantly revealed a huge piece of news.

"I'm not likely to continue studying at Rikkai Dai. My parents will be returning in January, and they'd like me to apply for a high school in Tokyo."

Silence fell upon the two teams.

Tsugi maintained eye contact with her food which was mostly untouched – only the carton of juice was opened.

"Is it confirmed?" asked a gentle voice – it was Yukimura.

"Yes… I will be taking the entrance exams for Seishun Gakuen and a couple other schools. I hope to get into Seishun though," Tsugi briefly looked at Yukimura, and resumed to playing with her straw.

"Good luck," said Yukimura, his smile unreadable.

"… Thank you," Tsugi managed a feeble smile, a horrid feeling struck her heart. She didn't want to leave all her friends behind – she had grown to love Rikkai Dai, her second family and him. The blissful days had blinded her vision and she forgot that she'd have to return to Tokyo someday. Kanagawa was just a temporary stop in her life. Would her team be upset at her? Would they eventually forget about her? She couldn't stop these questions from bombarding her mind and wringing her heart along with that. Even more importantly… What about Yukimura?

It hurt to think about leaving him. Perhaps they would gradually grow distant and lose contact like so many long distance relationships. Tokyo and Kanagawa were near enough but they'd be busy in high school… Maybe they won't even have the time to meet up. She sneaked a glance at Yukimura, and bit her lips when she saw him adorning a frown. Was he thinking along the same line? For once since the start of this relationship, she felt terribly insecure.

Marui was the one who intervened her worry fits.

"You were hung up over such a small matter?" Marui blurted out, scratching his head, "There's no need to, Yanagi-chan."

… Small matter? Tsugi's green eyes locked with Marui's amethyst-colored ones, how was this a small matter?

"I will not be attending Rikkai Dai either, in April, I will be reporting to a science specialist school in Kyoto in preparation of studying medicine in future," Yagyuu suddenly said, marking the inception of a series of confessions from people who'd be leaving.

"To be frank, I will be going overseas as well," Naomi admitted, "My father wants me to experience independence and learn to adapt to different environments."

"I'm returning overseas after this year," Penelope spoke up, waving off the tense atmosphere, "Honestly, there's no need to be so emotional. The end is a new beginning!"

"Even if we aren't separated now, we will eventually part at a crossroad in future," said Leiko, "We will keep in contact with you, buchou."

"Absolutely – and if you join the tennis team in Seishun, we will face you in the court!" Chisaki grinned, "We won't go easy on you when the time comes."

"See? It's common, people come and go during graduation," Marui grinned at Tsugi, "But I was a little surprised, Yanagi-chan. I didn't expect you to be one of those who will be leaving."

"Marui's right," Yukimura squeezed her hand lightly, "There's no need to be hung up over it… It's a natural process. It doesn't matter even if we're not in Rikkai Dai anymore, the memories we shared, the bonds we forged… None of these will disappear. They are engraved within us already." Therefore, there was no need to worry. We will make it work out.

"That grief-stricken look doesn't fit your image," Nisaki threw out with a straight face.

Yukimura's strength flowed from their contact to her, filling her with reassurance.

Tsugi broke a smile, and tried her best to keep her voice firm, "Thank you, everyone."

The hearty atmosphere was soon restored. It was undeniable though, that they were purposefully trying to chase away the gloom from before and they weren't really succeeding.

After lunch, the teams consciously made some time alone for Yukimura and Tsugi. The two of them came to the rooftop garden which Yukimura was in charge of, and squatted before a flowerbed of colorful crocuses.

"Crocus," It was one of the few species she recognized because it was a gift from Yukimura, "The crocus you gave me still sits in the garden."

"I'm glad to know that," Yukimura laughed, gently rubbing the petal of a shyly blooming flower, "Crocus is one of the rare species which are able to bloom in winter. Do you still remember what the flower language of crocus is?"

Tsugi nodded, "Cheerfulness."

Yukimura smiled and continued, "When I picked out that pot of crocus, I was thinking about your smile. You have many variations of smiles – they are all beautiful, but I like your cheerful smile the best. Back then, I hoped you'd always be happy, and I still do now. Can you promise me that even when we're apart, you'll remember to wear your best smile?"

"… I promise."

Yukimura let go of the flower and looked up at the sky, "In the cafeteria, when you said that you'll be moving on… do you know what I was thinking? I was telling myself that I was a fool for wasting the time I could've spent with you mourning over my disease. If I were a little braver, we would have more time to weave more memory together before we have to part – and I would have less to worry about."

"Seiichi… It wasn't you, it was me. I was the coward who avoided us – if I had answered to you during the school trip, it would've been a lot easier for you and me."

"We were all silly," Yukimura agreed, "But I'm glad, too… Because if we didn't go through that, I wouldn't have known love."

Tsugi's eyes were fixated on Yukimura.

"The previous time, we made a pact of two weeks. This time, I want to make a pact of three years. Let's aim for Toudai together," Yukimura smiled warmly, "Aside from that, we can meet up when we have free time. Tokyo and Kanagawa aren't too far, so I think it should be fine if we don't meet too regularly. What do you think?"

Tsugi decided that she had heard enough. If he said anymore, she wasn't sure if she could contain her turbulent emotions any longer.

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly with a level of strength he hadn't felt since his post-surgery. Yukimura lifted his arms and pat her back, one stroke after another at a soothing pace; alleviating her trembling body.

"Yes, Seiichi," Tsugi managed a wisp of a response, voice already on the verge of breaking, "I promise."

They stayed like that, arms draped around each other in a squat position. It was actually rather uncomfortable, but the two of them didn't think so. They felt close to each other.

After a while, Tsugi called out to Yukimura.

"Seiichi?"

"Hmm?"

A pause.

"I love you."

Yukimura laughed.

"Yeah, I love you too."

Spring would come and some people would leave; the season of change will mark a new beginning for everything – but for the two of them, it would be fine if they had each other. If he had her by his side, he could walk through any adversity. If she had him by her side, the skies weren't her limit.

The end of this conjunction point only meant that they have to seek the next confluence – and the promised meeting place they have agreed upon was Toudai. They'd reach there together. For sure. Without a doubt.

Because it was a promise they made to each other, and that by itself was enough to ensure that they'd give their all for it.

The End

Would you kill me if I told you that that was the end? Okay, but really, this is the end. With an epilogue to tie up all the loose ends of course. Thank you to everyone who walked through this journey with me, without all your support, this story wouldn't have been completed in a little over half a year :) Please look forward to the next and final chapter of HTTW. P.S. you can request for certain things that you'd like to see e.g. the ending of certain characters and I'll see if they can be fitted into the epilogue.