Flayn (
seems_fishy) wrote in
synergetic2024-03-16 04:44 pm
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Doubling Down
Flayn was still looking forward to this match.
From the way he smiled when he described his plan, she knew he meant for her to feel excited and confident in its success. She'd done her best to meet his expectations, and she was still excited about getting to play with him. She would see even more of his playing this way; she would have much to learn from!
At the same time, for him to generally say leave most of this to me, feels... well. She doesn't quite want to name the feeling and make it real, she'd rather hold on to the way she felt when she opened his drawing of the yellow rose. Because she was sure that the same heart was behind both decisions. One just felt better than the other; that was all.
With practice winding down, she helps the first year girls put away the unneeded balls (it was only fair), craning her neck constantly to see if the boys were ready. They were at least easy to spot, being so tall...
She waved hopefully when it looked like they were putting things away, too.
From the way he smiled when he described his plan, she knew he meant for her to feel excited and confident in its success. She'd done her best to meet his expectations, and she was still excited about getting to play with him. She would see even more of his playing this way; she would have much to learn from!
At the same time, for him to generally say leave most of this to me, feels... well. She doesn't quite want to name the feeling and make it real, she'd rather hold on to the way she felt when she opened his drawing of the yellow rose. Because she was sure that the same heart was behind both decisions. One just felt better than the other; that was all.
With practice winding down, she helps the first year girls put away the unneeded balls (it was only fair), craning her neck constantly to see if the boys were ready. They were at least easy to spot, being so tall...
She waved hopefully when it looked like they were putting things away, too.
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Catching Flayn's wave, Yukimura returns it in a signal that she's free to come join them anytime. Aya, Nami, Usagi, and Makoto also begin making their way over, the latter two branching off to join Marui, Jackal, and Akaya. Nami trades a silent nod of acknowledgment with him and assumes a place near Yanagi (Yanagi always knew where the best view would be).
Aya greets Sanada with unusual professionalism, then pulls a few pins from the waistband of her skirt and wraps her braids across her head, securing them in place like a fancy headband. Hm...
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Sanada, meanwhile, looks Aya over approvingly. He never thought she wasn't taking this seriously, but this is a level of awareness women had to have that he hadn't even considered...
Pulling out a hairbrush as she walked, Flayn nodded towards the referee chair.
"Oh, you found someone so quickly!" she said brightly.
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Besides, this is a good chance to show Flayn how tall the sky is. She's really being thrown into the deep end this time! But it will be a good experience for her. It's quite the treat to be so involved in a match between Rikkai's two strongest players and greatest rivals.
"I didn't even have to ask for volunteers," Yukimura confesses with a small smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes, then meets Niou's eyes. He doesn't think Niou will pull any surprises from up there, but one small look for insurance doesn't hurt. He's satisfied that Niou's returned expression reflects every bit the seriousness his post demands.
Looking back to Flayn, he tips his head at the hairbrush in her hand. "It looks like we're thinking the same thing. Would you like a hand?"
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She blushes hard when he offers, holding out the brush in the direction she thinks his voice is.
Sanada frowns; he'd been about to ask Fujimiya for a clarification, but something in Flayn's jerky movements and influent words grabbed his attention... which was then, as usual, arrested by Yukimura.
He looked back to Aya quickly. Something in him didn't want to figure it out-- Yukimura was just spoiling Von Aegir the same way he did his sister and Sanada had no desire to find out why. He understood what he saw and that was good enough.
Gruffly, to Aya, he added, "You're warmed up enough, aren't you? It looks like they're taking a minute."
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"It's fine; I've got one in my bag."
After accepting the brush, he walks over to his tennis bag and unzips one of the side pockets, pulling out a pocket mirror, a pink bow clip, and a simple elastic hair band.
"These belong to my little sister, but I don't think she'll mind lending them out. Just a minute..."
As Yukimura steps behind Flayn and begins gathering her hair up using the brush and his hands, Aya's attention (and most everyone else's) momentarily shifts to the impromptu hairdressing, and in contrast to the art class, instead of silence becoming a sea of whispers, the sea of chatter turns to silence.
Sanada's question pulls her attention back to him, and her eyes are bright and lively as she smiles back. "Are you asking to test me?"
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It was only hard because of the distracting silence.
Flayn had to fight to stay still, all she really wanted to do was vibrate with nervousness, feeling him work, and also noticing what everyone else was noticing.
"Do you have them because you do this a lot for her?" Flayn wondered, trying to picture Yukimura's little sister. The mental image of him doting on a little girl with his picturesque wavy hair was absolutely adorable.
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"Yeah. When we play tennis together, she likes to wear her hair up. I've gotten lots of practice." He secures the band high on the head, adding one extra twist to the tail in the fastening, causing it to arch high before cascading down. He gives it a light fluff and secures the bow in front, then passes her the mirror to check his work.
"How is it?"
Marui grimaces from the sideline; it's certainly gotten warm all of the sudden.
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"Oh, it takes me two or three tries usually..." she said, in just a touch of awe. She looked up at Yukimura with just a hint of wonderment. Was there anything he couldn't do? Perhaps they should start sending him to negotiate world peace... Oh, he must cook wonderfully, too!
"Thank you!" she added, before she could forget a second longer, and pressed the mirror back into his hand, not intending to linger but still so pleased with his efforts that maybe...
"I feel just a little bit stronger now!"
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"Show me in the match."
He puts the mirror away and, after a smile from luck in the right to serve first, moves to the baseline to start the game with a flawless high-speed serve to the outside corner of the deuce court service box, not unlike that of the one Echizen used to begin his counteroffensive in their Nationals face-off.
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"Silent like the forest," he declared, quickly robbing the ball of most of its power but still sending it back over the net. Flayn tracked it carefully, but it was, to her disappointment, well out of the range they'd established for her.
"I expected a stronger start, Yukimura!" Sanada roared back, stepping out of the forest for the next return.
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"Says the one who opens with Forest!" He taunts back.
Aya rushes forward and manages to snare the drop shot's miniscule bounce, just barely hefting it back over the net. Yukimura is dashing for it even before Aya reaches the ball, and bunts it with the end of the handle back into their court, avoiding the chance of a penalty from touching the net with his racket.
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But with a yell of "Invade like fire!!" the ball is alive again, so carefully, repeatedly hit to Yukimura that she has to assume it's deliberate, and chooses not to be offended by it. He seems to think each ball will prove something.
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Sanada doesn't even invoke the Mountain; he simply returns it cleanly back, barely over the net.
"You aren't going to learn anything if Yukimura keeps you locked in a box," he told her imperiously. "Watch this side of the court instead!"
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He punctuates the question with a volley back to his less strong side. There was, of course, no such thing as a weak side for Sanada.
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Flayn's paying attention to his utter confusion, not because he said to, but because she should. Her recent failure... well, it was weighing on her just a bit and she was open to preventing that feeling from coming back. But Sanada wasn't going to give her the ball, only Aya would... whether that was because he didn't want to pressure her or because he was too busy with proving himself to Yukimura, she had no way of knowing, but she wasn't sure she wanted to wait it out, either...
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Aya puts forth a dash of speed and manages to return it, but it hits her racket just slightly askew from the scramble, and flies high over the net.
Yukimura, already in place, leaps up and smashes it to the corner Aya just vacated. She managed to cover the distance with the slower speed of a lob, but there's no hope of her reaching this one.
From the sideline, where he watches with his arms casually folded, Marui's brow furrows in confusion. That... should've been Flayn's ball, right? Why didn't she go for it?
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Flayn didn't get the reference, but she didn't get the ball, either. Yukimura scored, and it was thrilling to watch him do it, the way he moved like he owned the court and the rest of them were there for his entertainment. He looked good, but she was almost bored with only looking!
(Almost. He was still... well... keeping her eyes very much arrested on him...)
He always seemed to know where Sanada was, and Sanada had a good idea where he'd be to return to... She was out of her depth, she was beginning to realize, but she didn't want it to stay that way...
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"Sorry, Sanada-kun!" Aya says with a renewed determination to cover her half of the court better for Sanada's sake. Yukimura was as skilled and ruthless as ever; she hadn't been ready for him to steal that smash. What was he doing coming into Flayn's area like that?
As the match continues (along with the boys' banter and occasional taunts at their female opponents rather than each other), it becomes increasingly clear that this move wasn't a fluke, either. Yukimura was exploiting their assumptions about territory to throw off their game and maximize the span of the court he's defending, making it even harder to score points off them. Aya is at once begrudgingly impressed at the evil genius of it and sorry for Flayn because she isn't getting to play much at all like this! It didn't look like much fun. But then, fun and tennis never did really mesh together when it came to Yukimura, did they?
It's the last thought she has before a volley that fails to clear the net, and she realizes she didn't feel the ball hitting the racket. Yukimura smiles darkly at her from across the court.
"From the looks of it, you've lost your sense of touch."
Oh no...
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"You still have four other senses," Sanada said, eyes still on Flayn. Not for long, perhaps, if he remembered correctly, but until then, here and now...
Aya misjudged something, but Flayn judged it correctly, and moved, decisive, to hit it back to her. Yukimura was still commanding attention, and something about him seemed less like the boy who set this up for her and more like someone people avoided, but it wasn't heavy on her mind at the moment, as she intercepted the ball and hit it back at Aya, impulsively cheering at having managed it!
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He runs two steps towards the returning ball and throws to a stop to avoid colliding with Flayn, who's also running for the ball and closer to it. It's... outside where she was supposed to have to defend, a fact that leaves him briefly surprised. Surprised and confused. Oh well. Yukimura can't complain; he's already achieved his primary goal in their initial set-up.
"All right!!!" Marui punches his fist in the air with a cheer in tandem with Flayn's, the quiet, grim expression he'd been wearing as the match progressed evaporating in an instant.
Aya, still with her sight and hearing for the time being, makes good on the opportunity Flayn opens up for her and shifts her focus to the green-haired girl across the net. Sanada is counting on her. She can't afford to fall to yips here.
It's that very thought that becomes the seed of fear Yukimura's tennis feasts on. She returns the ball with success but lacking her usual control. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Yukimura repositioning himself, stealing her attention.
It's the last thing she takes in before the world goes pitch black.
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Yukimura draws the eye. He would even if Sanada wasn't determined to defeat him (eventually, someday, inevitably maybe).
"Fujimiya?" He doesn't see an indication that she's heard him, and he recognizes so very well the look on Yukimura's face... regal and solid and he hates to face it as much as he loves watching others do so.
Flayn preempting Yukimura to that ball is about the most interesting thing he's seen today, and he'll remember it with enjoyment later, but now, now, he has to compensate for Aya on the chance she can shake off the yips and finish the game... otherwise Yukimura is just going to dominate the entire court.
Sanada smiles, slightly, the sense of power that comes with making a decision coming to him.
Yukimura is trying to protect Flayn from him, but Flayn, still joyously reveling in her own decision, isn't going to cooperate with Yukimura's plan forever. Yukimura would still be banking on him, loyal best friend and honorable opponent, to protect Flayn from himself.
But Yukimura is his gloriously smart and strong rival today, not his Captain, and frankly, Yukimura would be disappointed if Sanada saw him as anything less than his number one goal to surpass.
Yukimura does not want him to attack Flayn. Aya would want to attack Flayn, but she can't. Flayn wants to be able to test herself against attack, and Sanada needs to keep the game going until Aya figures out the secret that Tezuka and Echizen have.
As he sees it right now, with Aya out of commission, and with Sanada and Flayn both wanting the same thing... for now, Flayn is his ally on the court, and he needs to help her as best he can.
"Von Aegir!" he calls, raising the ball. Flayn perks up and looks directly at the ball in his hand, not his face-- good.
"There are six ways I can hit this ball as part of Fuurinkainzanrai," he said quickly, like a professor giving a lecture. "Shadow and Lightning are too advanced for this match, Mountain is defensive, Wind is fast, Fire is powerful, and Forest will negate your power. I'm going to hit Wind directly to you. If you hit back, I'll neutralize with forest, and return it to you."
His eyes flicked across the court. Flayn followed his gaze in confusion.
"Unless you have a problem with that, Yukimura?"
He didn't wait for an answer. "Swift like the wind!"
And Flayn took the words for an order, immediately moving to hit it, but it was already neatly in her part of the court. She managed to return it, but she knew it was only because Sanada had warned her it would be there, and just like he said, he called "Quiet like the forest!" and the ball came to rest on her side of the net before she could even imagine what to do about it.
"Next time!!" she promised him, as she started towards him to change courts, watching as he gently wrapped an arm around Aya's shoulders and led her past the net.
"The next time I get the ball, I'm going to use Fire on you," he answered. "Be ready, either to lose the point or to let Yukimura try and take it back."
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It's a thought he'll have to come back to as he hears Sanada's change in strategy. That isn't good; if Sanada is going to start hitting to Flayn's area, that's going to cost them points, and absolutely mean less chance of Sanada joining Aya in yips. It's the correct choice for him.
The foolish part, of course, was announcing his intent in advance, but it's an endearing flaw. Sanada is being quite personable to their newest player. Well, it will be a good experience for her to face Sanada's incredible prowess herself for a couple of shots. But if they're going to win, they can't allow him to continue hitting solely to her.
It's incredible that she even manages to return Wind. Even with its being announced first, the shot is nearly impossible to track with the naked eye. Her kinetic vision must be exceptional. For a split second, he considers moving up to intercept Forest, but that truly would be a break in formation, and Sanada is absolutely skilled enough to do a last-millisecond course change to an opening he leaves. And absolutely intent enough to face off against Flayn for now that any interference will piss him off. Yukimura holds his place, and allows the lost game.
"He's not joking," he warns Flayn as Sanada moves to escort Aya to the court change. "Fire will put too much strain on your wrists. Don't overdo it."
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But as she listens to him speak to Flayn across the court, a fluttery warmth spreads through her insides, and she remembers all over again why she fell in love with this man in the first place: his earnestness; his integrity; his kindness; his dependability. He didn't have to tell Flayn how his tennis worked or what he was about to test her with, but he did. And it keeps Aya in the game, too, aware of what's happening, and the simple fact that Sanada was indeed still standing there beside her, carrying them both while she can't fight herself.
And Flayn! There she is in this match, completely out of her depth with Sanada and Yukimura on the court with her, and just listen to how she's pushing forward, undeterred by the point scored against her. Aya is so proud of her determination. And if Sanada called Forest, that meant she'd managed to return Wind...!
Aya becomes vaguely aware that her feet are moving, and pieces together that it must be Sanada. Right, it's time to change court... Sanada secured that game for them. His determination is something else, too. It's a little shaming, isn't it? Was she the weakest spirit in this match? In that case, maybe Flayn wasn't the only one with some things to learn here.
She thinks again back to the cheer of success Flayn cried with her return, how happy she sounded even as she lost the point. That's right, it's not about winning the match for her. It's about the chance to play with friends, and to become stronger in this shared sport. Flayn would rather lose as a participant than win as a bystander.
What's her objective? What does she want most from this match?
She wants to savor this chance to partner with Sanada and directly support him. This is such a rare chance to play tennis with him! It made her so happy when she realized Yukimura was setting them up to be the opponents, happy like Flayn sounded now to simply be out here.
How funny, that warm feeling is surfacing at her skin now, and concentrated with a gentle pressure around her shoulders. Sanada...
She draws in a quiet gasp, and her hand reaches up, covering Sanada's at her shoulder and squeezing.
She can feel him.
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If Sanada scored, it would be because he was better, not because she wasn't trying!
At the other end of the court, Sanada feels his chest tighten just like Aya's hand on his. It makes no sense, what he's feeling, especially because it just reminds him of Yukimura for some reason.
But he needs to think about Yukimura, and what will come next. He can't help the sense of pride when Aya acknowledges him, because it means her lost senses are returning to her, and that means she's achieved a Tezuka-level feat. And this between playing... truly, ladies have a strength the likes of which men could neither comprehend nor counter. Flayn had it, too. A freedom and elasticity of feeling, perhaps.
"He's going to want to know how you did it," Sanada said, voice shaped around a smirk.
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Light and color filter back into her eyes, and she turns her head to look at Sanada and that wonderful smile on his face, like he's sharing a secret joke with her.
"I remembered why I'm playing... thanks to Flayn-chan. Let's finish this together, Sanada-kun."
Oblivious for now to Aya's returning senses, Yukimura coolly agrees, "Certainly, I don't want him to be allowed to have it either. I have an idea."
He leaned in and whispered an explanation of Australian Formation, in which they would line up at the center with Flayn in the rear, running in the opposite direction of wherever Yukimura went.
"This will protect your wrists from Sanada's strength without sacrificing court coverage."
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"Australian Formation?" Sanada called over, preparing the ball. "Are you going to use Oishi's Territory for your next play?"
He hoped she wouldn't let on she regained her senses already. He hadn't thought to discuss it with her, still a bit too awed both by her overcoming Yukimura's greatest strength, the sheer aura of intimidation emanating from him, and by how it left him leading Yukimura in this game. It was more than a little foolish to be so taken by it -- he knew Yukimura could be defeated, after all.
His eyes went to Flayn over Yukimura's shoulder.
"If this is your plan, perhaps I need to explain the Black Dragon Aura and the double clutch next."
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Yukimura moves into the front position of the formation and readies his racket without answering Sanada's taunt. He stares down the remaining opposition with the full force of his renowned and feared aura: the aura of absolute certainty in victory.
It doesn't change when Sanada speaks of his next plans to Flayn. In fact, Yukimura smiles like it's exactly what he wanted to hear.
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But he can live with that... a quick look tells him Fujimiya is still in sight, and it would be a damn poor showing if he couldn't face it as calmly as she did.
He doesn't need to hear his own voice. Nor Yukimura's, for that matter.
He doesn't immediately want to let on that Yukimura has gotten to him-- he'll realize it soon enough. He always does. That means continuing with his plan as stated, and he explains the Black Dragon's ins and outs.
But he's going to need a moment to acclimate to not having his hearing-- in some ways, it'll help his focus, and his sight is already quicker, but for now, he just serves Wind, and gets a rally going.
Flayn watches closely, a bit concerned that he hasn't truly attacked yet, but Yukimura's changed plan has revitalized her, gotten her more excited now that he seems to be more trusting of her.
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It wasn't impossible; it has been done before. Twice, at any rate.
No, this wasn't the right thing to be thinking about. It wasn't about winning. It was about making the most of this chance to pair with Sanada on the court. They didn't need to win for her to do that.
The rally begins, Yukimura taking the lead in fending off Sanada's attacks, and Aya sees her chance: a return shot to her court, and Yukimura's eyes fill with alarm as he meets her ready gaze, and it's just not quickly enough for him to change plans. She steps forward and fires it back in a clean shot straight past his stunned expression.
"...15-Love," Niou announces.
"Yatta!" Aya jumps in cheer and raises her hand for a high five with an energy of brazen confidence to rival Yukimura's himself as she changes sides with Sanada for the second serve.
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It doesn't always go like this. Usually, he's angrier and more frustrated, but having witnessed how Aya just threw off the yips like it was nothing and then turned around and scored on him again to-- Absolutely she's earned a high-five, and he gives it with almost as much shock as Yukimura.
Flayn pops in close to Yukimura, concerned. Having never seen him surprised before...
"We are still on the right track, are we not?" she asked, voice pitched not to carry.
On the other side, Sanada looks at Aya, still a bit in awe.
"He'll recover quickly," Sanada told her. "He always does."
He still had to make good on his threat to use the Black Dragon aura, for just such an occasion.
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"Yeah, we're fine," he assures Flayn, and feels his self-annoyance melt away. He wasn't going to let Fujimiya get a ball past him like that again.
Something has changed in their opponents' combination, however. Fujimiya's eyes no longer reflect wariness but passion. Yukimura's tennis thrives on negativity, and there's no longer any to be found in his original target. Well, there was still Sanada. He, too, would likely overcome it give time, but for the spell he was affected, that was a period of advantage. They would simply have to use it to seal the victory.
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Sanada, still with his sight but beginning to feel his senses of smell and taste go -- not necessary for playing but useful to gauge exactly how deeply he was mired in Yukimura's domination of the court -- couldn't help smiling at the sight of her. Enthusiasm was doing a lot of work in this match, although he wasn't sure quite why Aya was into it. Perhaps she just wanted to make a good showing for the ladies' club against the more celebrated boys?
It would be okay as long as he was still thinking he coherently. As long as he didn't fall into the pit of frustration, the anger truly unworthy of Japan's second-best high school tennis player, as long as he didn't sink to the level of actually hating Yukimura, something that was usually impossible but that friendly fire match made him wonder...
"Invade like fire!!" he called, reacting to the ball coming toward him and unable to hear himself, shooting straight for Yukimura this time, smile slowly widening, unsure if it was because he thought he could win or because he could still play.
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In truth, it could be any of those, or any number of other candidates, from Yukimura's opening formation to Flayn's moment of breaking out in spite of it. As Marui has watched this match unfold, the surprises just keep stacking up. Maybe the greatest lesson to take here is just how much they all still had to discover, both about their tennis and about themselves, from playing matches with the women's team. Marui doesn't think all that has unfolded today is coincidental to that factor.
Yukimura probably didn't imagine such an outcome when he orchestrated it. It sounded like an indulged whim from what Marui heard. What does he think now that he's actually standing out there with Flayn? Does he realize his partner has taken over as the mood maker of the court?
For a doubles specialist like Marui, it's an amazing combination to watch. For all the wrong reasons. Yukimura and Flayn were both insanely talented players on their own. They were both uncommonly skilled at doubles (Yukimura because he was just that good at tennis, Flayn because she was a natural for doubles itself). As people, they seemed to get on quite well. But their compatibility as a tennis team was unfathomably awful. It was nothing to do with how they got along, or the positions they favored or their ability to read each other's movements. It was all about their respective energies. It's the first time he's seen anything like it.
Almost out of nowhere, Marui wishes he could see a match between Flayn and Echizen. What an interesting sight that would be.
Sanada and Aya, on the other hand, are pairing well. Their mutual respect and trust is evident, and after only a few minutes in the beginning, they seemed to have acclimated to each other's impact on the court, each using their strengths to support the other. When Yukimura returns Fire, Aya is ready with a slice that seems certain to land in the deuce court, but it arcs sharply into the advantage court on its path to the ground. Yukimura isn't fooled and runs to the advantage court to receive it, undoubtedly reading the trajectory from the high spin on the ball. By the time it's returnable, however, Aya is already at the net, forcing Yukimura to either return to Sanada or lob a chance ball.
...Or he could choose a drive shot right at her feet. Just like Yukimura! That's a nearly impossible return standing that close to the net. Only Jirou could manage an angle like that. Aya squeaks and leaps back, letting the ball rebound high into the air, on its way out of the court.
"Sanada-kun!" She calls in prompt for him to cover, already running cross-court to fill the void Sanada's rush to snare the fly ball would leave.
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Sanada only has a second to react. He only needs a second to react. No time to explain that one to Flayn but the way her eyes narrow, he suspects she gets the gist of it.
Something in him, not just his tennis, electrifies at the thought that Fujimiya really trusted him to make that save. Against Yukimura. She has to know-- she certainly knows that was never guaranteed and yet, in this moment...
He can hear Flayn's sudden groan of frustration and suddenly he knows the way to drive it all home.
"Black Dragon, first slash!" he exclaims, winding the ball too far way from Flayn's path for her to ever intercept. "The black aura and the double clutch... can change the path of the ball!"
But Sanada knows without looking that Yukimura is already, will already be prepared to return it, even if he sends the second slash to Flayn. Doubles is the weak point of the double clutch.
"Black Dragon, second slash!" he calls then, once Flayn has changed course too far to change back, and sends it to where she would have been if she hadn't moved.
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The point is over and called before he can fully process what just happened. Sanada....
Yukimura can hardly believe the evolution he's just seen. Lightning double clutch.
Fujimiya jumps and cheers "That was the best!" before turning to him and pulling down an eyelid with a stuck-out tongue. It's playful and childish and completely on-brand. Yukimura doesn't give her the satisfaction of a response. He simply doesn't understand it: how did Fujimiya so quickly go from trapped in the dark void of yips, needing Sanada to guide her to the other side of the court, to brimming with confidence, her eyes bright and focused and alive? How was she ready to return that ball? Yukimura had thought that surely the hope and pressure of wanting to help Sanada have a good match would overwhelm her. What brought her back into the light?
Sanada, too, seemed to be regaining his senses rather than them slipping further away. Fujimiya's entrusting the return to him seems to have rejuvenated his will. Was that even possible? Doubles was no safeguard against yips, even with solid teamwork and complete trust. Where did this second wind come from?
"Look alive, Flayn-chan!" She pep-talks from across the net. "The real game starts now."
Yukimura, as though remembering she's there for the first time since the score changed to 30-0, looks back to check on her.
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"That looked amazing!!" she exclaimed.
"Only because you weren't there for all the years I was preparing it for Tezuka," he said matter-of-factly.
"I quite disagree," she answered, making him smile in surprise. "Ohh, honestly I think that would make it even better! It makes me feel better, that it took a lot of years of work... Maybe someday I could do something that splendid!"
"Th-there's nothing splendid about it," Sanada protested, and suddenly snapped his fingers next to his ear, just to be sure, absolutely sure, his sense returned. He was a little embarrassed, but admiration that was unequivocally sincere -- not poisoned by envy or trying to get on fukubuchou's nonexistent good side -- was a bit of a rush, and he was firing on all cylinders all of a sudden.
"You're a hundred years too late to reach this peak," he said imperiously, feeling renewed and rejuvenated. "Lightning isn't even damaging my body the way it normally does."
"I do not have to reach the peak," Flayn called back giddily. "I only have to make you stumble!"
"For that you're a thousand years too late!!"
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Flayn hardly seems to have needed Fujimiya's encouragement. Her utter delight after losing the point is at odds with everything Yukimura associates with tennis and Rikkai's tennis club culture. And it's contagious, if Sanada's behavior is any indication. When was the last time he looked so happy in the middle of one of their battles? The thought is at once endearing and painful. No doubt about it, he's regained his sense of hearing as well. Yukimura can read Sanada's snap by the ear for the sanity check that it is, and narrows his eyes.
...
It's Flayn.
The epiphany hits like a block of ice dropped in the stomach. Everything she's saying to Sanada is anathema to the taunting psychological weardown that heralds yips. She's not rattling their opponents' confidence, she's boosting it.
This match was a terrible idea.
He's stuck, too: Flayn is so happy, he can't crush that, but if he doesn't do something, they're going to... to Sanada... He can't, won't let that happen. And he doesn't have to. This is doubles, after all!
"But I'm not!" He retorts as he rescues the next shot, and feels a rush of satisfaction (and dare anyone say it, joy) that spreads across his face in a smile.
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Sanada's heart was hammering in his chest, adrenaline shooting through his veins, just from Yukimura's retort. For the next two seconds, all he wanted to do was make sure he hit back Yukimura's ball--
But that was exactly what Yukimura was expecting. And this is doubles.
This time he returns it, but he looks at Aya after, gauging what they need to do next, and is struck by her serenity. She's supported by the kind of strength that only comes from the certainty that she's already won. It's the same kind of awe-inspiring aura Yukimura emits, even when Sanada's stood beside him knowing that he doesn't actually know if he'll win or not. But it is the greatest feeling to have on your side.
And yet Yukimura still hasn't given up. Thinking back, he was thinking about something before responding to Sanada, and Sanada wonders what it was, what he realized. He hasn't given up fighting and with all of his senses, Sanada can finally really see him in his element from this side of the net.
Who's will is the strongest here? He's always known it to be Yukimura's, victory is inevitably his, but Fujimiya's and Von Aegir's changes to the equation are more than he imagined and he, for once, doesn't have his own certainty that Yukimura will win.
It's terrifying and a little thrilling, or thrilling and a little terrifying, but he's with Aya on this one. Whatever happens next.
Whatever she does next...
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It's the adrenaline in both cases. But it's enough. The game is no longer terrifying but thrilling, and suddenly-- it's not that Yukimura has developed blind spots, but his and Flayn's combination is full of them. She can see them all so well now, like glimmers of light across the court. It's almost too easy. She hardly notices the passage of time and their swelling lead. What she sees is the opponents' ragged determination and tenacity. Peripherally, she's aware of Yukimura's frustration and growing desperation to not lose this game, but more in her focus is Flayn's excitement and drive to keep trying simply for the fun of playing. That's right; that's the energy to ride out to the finish.
Match point. Sanada's double clutch sends the ball sharply askew to the corner of the court. A strangled cry tears from Yukimura's throat as he dives and sends the ball whizzing back like a bullet. He skids across the court paving, scraping up his limbs and dirtying his jersey. The ball smacks against the top of the net and rolls along the top, not unlike Bunta's most famous volley.
She knows, before it even happens, it's going to follow the same trajectory too. She moves without further thought. Knows without words that it's hers. Her racket arcs parallel to the ground and taps the ball with the frame back to the opponents' side without touching the net. It feels like slow motion watching it drop, not two inches from the net, and come to rest with barely a second bounce, sealing the outcome of the match at six games to four-- the same score Yukimura suffered to Echizen years ago.
The silence that follows is deafening.
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He doesn't have any words for either Aya or Yukimura, just an icy drop in his stomach looking at him, wondering...
But Flayn is beside him before he can react beyond that, looking at his scrapes with a cute little crease between her eyebrows and he feels his blood start to run again as he looks at Aya.
"You've really done it..."
Meanwhile, Flayn was looking over Yukimura with concern, breathing hard.
"That was magnificent," she insisted, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket and brushing some of the grit and dirt from his arm. "I almost wish I could see it again!"
Oh, but she was probably hurting him worse, and she was breathing hard from the exertion and so was he and she could see Sanada approaching the net with a hand outstretched and before that she threw her arms around Yukimura's shoulders with a laugh.
"That whole match was amazing," she said breathlessly.
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Yukimura almost feels weightless as reality closes around him and steals a piece of his pride that he'll never get back. It's a milestone in his friendship and rivalry with Sanada, one the selfish side of him wishes never to have seen, even as another part of him fights to remind him: he's also deeply proud of Sanada. How tirelessly he's pushed himself, how long he's strived to reach this moment where he could extend his hand across the net as the victor between them. He can't manage happiness for him, but he has so much respect for how hard it's been earned.
The stinging scrapes on his limbs barely register. Sweat-dampened bangs cling to his face and stripe his view of Aya removing the hair pins and shaking her braids loose.
"Me? This is doubles, you know," she winks at Sanada with an expression so full of warmth and fulfillment even he can't miss it. "I'm glad I could be a part of this with you. Congratulations, Sanada-kun."
Yukimura pushes himself up as Flayn dusts him off, then simply throws her arms around him like this must be the best day of her life. What a strange feeling to be so pleasant after defeat. At least she's happy with it all. That's who it was for, right?
He smiles at her, torn between ruefulness for the outcome and gratification for her pleasure in spite of the fact. "You have good spirit; if you keep playing opponents like Sanada and Fujimiya, your strength will grow rapidly. As for me, that was an embarrassing introduction to my tennis. Come watch me play singles, okay?"
Accepting Flayn's offered hand up, he gets to his feet and approaches the net with her, extending his hand to shake Sanada's with a smile.
"Don't think I'm going to let it end with this. Sanada."
'Congratulations' simply couldn't be voiced. It was too much like saying their rivalry was over.
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But for a moment, he wonders if it was worth it, if he hasn't broken something that shouldn't be broken, shattered something that can't be repaired, the last thing he wants to be is a shadow in Yukimura's mind like Echizen or Tezuka. The way that Yukimura has gently oppressed him all this time is something he'd never, ever want to do in return--
"It's never going to end," Sanada promises him, the sun seeming to come out again when Yukimura smiles and takes his hand. Loss isn't defeat; merely an opportunity to come back better, and he smiles back, in spite of himself, because even now he isn't satisfied with merely winning a doubles match. There will be other matches, other wins and even other losses in the future.
Aya is radiant with her congratulations and something in him suddenly feels hot stuck between the two of them. Yukimura is probably faking some of his contentment (he knows what Echizen does to people), but his gratitude for that kind of friendship and rivalry is enough to make his chest burst, and Aya's elation is just as deserving.
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Aya, then, turns her attention to Flayn as they shake hands alongside Yukimura and Sanada. "That energy and spirit of yours out there was the best! Hey, wanna go get crepes? I'm dying for some sugar after all that."
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She spares a glance for her partner and Aya's, and they're with each other, but far apart, too. She senses something great happening in both their minds, and while she'd love to spend a little more time with Yukimura, he's already gone above and beyond for her.
So she smiles gratefully at Aya, and bids the boys all a fond goodnight.