Yukimura Seiichi is easily my favorite character in the entire anime. I was really, really upset when he lost to Echizen at the Nationals. The idea of the Pinnacle of Perfection is a little absurd to me, but that's just my own personal view. Then again... Tennis in PoT hardly makes sense, right? -laughs- I'd really like someone to be there for him during his hospital stay, after his loss, and possibly even accompany him in the future. That's why Yanagi Asaitsugi was created. I crafted her based on who I imagined would best suit Yukimura. Because of this dreamy vision *sigh* she's blessed, undoubtedly, though, I don't nearly consider her a Mary-Sue.

Warning: There are lots of OC's in this fic, so don't read if you hate seeing tons of OC's. Yeahs, I know (excessive) OC's are a common pet peeve, but the nature of this story is such that it requires many characters beyond the canon characters to fill the voids. I can promise that all OC's appeared for a reason though. :) besides, canon characters will progressively become the focus of this story.

Summary: The story between a boy who had been told that he's meant to soar higher than where the wind can take him and a girl whose flight is guided by the boy in front. (YukimuraxOC)

Disclaimer: If I had owned PoT, Echizen would have suffered his first official defeat at the Nationals finals.

Higher than the Wind

A New Resident at Yanagi's

"Oh dear, Tsugi-chan, I do hope it wasn't difficult for you to find your way here. I'd have asked Renji to pick you up but he's busy with club practice... It's the competition season and he's all fired up about it," Yanagi Machi nagged as she helped the raven-haired girl standing before the Yanagi residence to bring her belongings in.

"Please don't worry about it, Aunt Machi. It wasn't any trouble. I should thank you for having me instead," A voice resembling wind chimes came from the younger girl, words light yet pleasantly assuring. Renji fired up? That'd be quite a scene if it was true. Grabbing two bags in her right hand and picking up another one in the left, Tsugi smiled as she tried to picture Renji going gung-ho about tennis. She inwardly shook her head at the image of a riled up Renji; the possibility of that happening was close to zero. Even in a household like theirs, Renji was known for being exceptionally mild-tempered.

Following after her aunt, Tsugi showed no sign of breathlessness despite the heavy luggage in her hands. Her limbs may look lanky, but people shouldn't be fooled by it because she had been playing tennis since she was 7. That was 6 years of muscle training.

"No, I'm only too glad to have you here. I wish Sachiko is around more often but that girl went wild and signed up for a boarding school," Yanagi Machi sighed as she dragged a suitcase upstairs, her fair face wore a frown when she remembered her elder daughter who was, at the moment, pursuing an education in Sapporo. She had wished for her daughter to continue studying in Rikkai Dai but no, she simply had to apply for a boarding school in Sapporo as soon as she finished middle school. Her elder daughter's defiance always got under her skin.

"Please don't worry about Sachiko-nee-san, Aunt Machi. She's a very mature person," said Tsugi as they walked into the house.

The Yanagi residence was a delightful two-storey semi-detached house with a small backyard for leisure activities. The house had a warm ambience about it, something which could be accredited to the current mistress of the household — Yanagi Machi.

"It's always so comforting to talk to you, Tsugi-chan," Yanagi Machi beamed fondly at her niece. She stopped in front of the first room to the left on the second storey and put her hand on the doorknob. "Here we are. This will be your room while your parents are abroad in America, I hope you like it. Feel free to let me know if you'd like any adjustments to be made."

With her free hand, Yanagi Machi opened the door to reveal a beautifully-furnished room all decked out in blue – the exact shade of ocean blue which was Tsugi's favorite color. She felt her breath hitch in her throat.

"It's perfect, Aunt Machi. Thank you very much," Tsugi expressed her gratitude in a soft voice. It was obvious that Yanagi Machi took great pain in decorating the room — this room was nearly a perfect replica of her room back in Tokyo.

"Anything for you, Tsugi-chan. If you have anything to ask me, I'll usually be around the living room or kitchen downstairs. The room across you belongs to Renji and that is Sachiko's room. Grandpa and grandma live downstairs in the room nearest to the backyard, your uncle and I stay in the room beside them," Yanagi Machi gestured as she spoke.

Tsugi nodded as she listened to Yanagi Machi.

"By the way, I've asked Renji to fetch your uniform and books for you. He'll pass it to you later when he returns from school. School will begin tomorrow for you. Feel free to ask Renji if you're unsure about anything, okay?" Yanagi Machi continued.

"Okay, Aunt Machi."

With a final ruffle of Tsugi's hair, Yanagi Machi left the room for her to settle down. Tsugi put away her belongings and plopped down on her new bed, immediately cuddling into her new pillows which smelled like lilac. Aunt Machi was truly a meticulous woman. She really did try to replicate her Tokyo room, right down to the tiniest details like the scent of her pillows.

It was the first day Tsugi was putting up at her uncle's place, after being left in the care of her father's elder brother and his wife by her parents who were going overseas on a long business trip. Her uncle had two children, the eldest being a daughter by the name of Sachiko and the youngest being a son by the name of Renji. She had seen them during the frequent family reunions and was quite well-acquainted with both of them, so she didn't see why she can't live well with her uncle's family. But it just felt weird to be living in someone else's house. She didn't like the feeling.

Could this possibly be… the feeling of homesick? No, how could it be? Tsugi refuted the thought as soon as it was formed. She had raised herself up for as far back as her memory could trail, surely the cold house back in Tokyo couldn't be a more apt definition of 'home' than the Yanagi residence so overflowing with warmth and life. It was probably just the melancholy of being left alone in Japan by her parents, not that the feeling was foreign to her.

Knock knock.

The sudden sound broke Tsugi's chain of thoughts. Who was it? Didn't Aunt Machi just left? Curiously, she approached the door.

"Renji? You're back already?" Tsugi was surprised at the door. The brown-haired teenage male stood at the door with his eyes closed, a tennis bag slouched over his shoulder and two paper bags in the other hand. He was wearing a black-and-yellow jersey which didn't appeal very much to Tsugi.

"It's a great pleasure to have you here, Tsugi. I'm sorry I wasn't able to pick you up," apologised Renji with a sincere smile. "Here are your uniform and books."

"It's alright, thank you very much for bringing me these," she took the two paper bags from Renji and smiled back at him. "By the way, just a query, pray tell is what you're wearing now the standard Rikkai Dai sports jersey?"

"It is, but this is not our only jersey. Black-and-yellow happens to be the most common colour combination for Rikkai Dai tennis club though," Renji explained, sensing the subtle disdain in Tsugi's voice. Tsugi had appealed into Rikkai Dai using tennis, which meant that it was only a matter of time before she'd be playing as a regular for Rikkai Dai—and be required to wear the same jersey as him— and really, neither yellow nor black were close to being Tsugi's favourite colour. She much preferred blue and white.

"Oh… I see, that's a very unique combination of colors…" Tsugi's voice trailed off. A very unique match of color that didn't match her taste, but she could learn to deal with it.

"It's not that difficult getting accustomed to it. After a while, you'll find it… cheery."

Renji's words succeeded in eliciting a chuckle from his cousin.

"Renji dear, whatever happened to using proper adjectives?" Tsugi chided him playfully.

Renji shifted uncomfortably. His movement was almost too subtle to be registered, but Tsugi could see his awkwardness.

"I'm just kidding. Just look at it; you're blushing," Tsugi pat Renji on his head and smiled at him, emerald eyes twinkling with merriment. Because she was exactly a month older than Renji, Tsugi had a habit of treating him like a younger brother.

"I'm not blushing," Renji defended himself. He didn't appreciate people touching his hair but he didn't attempt to brush her hand off. Just this time, he told himself. This would be the last time he allowed Tsugi to ruffle his hair.

"Renji, thank you," Tsugi said softly. She understood the reason for his out-of-character joke; he was only trying to ease her up. She was so lucky to have Renji as her cousin.

Renji shook his head. "I'll go take a shower first. Dinner will be ready soon."

Tsugi nodded and bade him goodbye. She walked to her bed and took out her uniform from the paper bag. She held the dark green blazer against her body in front of the mirror, her emerald eyes glazing over.

Starting from tomorrow onwards, she'd be a first year at Rikkai Dai, King Rikkai Dai. She smiled; her gloom from before all swept away, like the Sun which had finally managed to peer through the dark stormy clouds.

~x~

The next day, Renji walked to school with Tsugi. She learned that Rikkai Dai was just around the corner from the Yanagi residence which was a pleasant surprise. Tsugi was someone who appreciated her sleep, especially those precious minutes — seconds in the morning, so it got her day off to a good start to know that she could wake up some couple tens of minutes later than when she was back in Tokyo.

As they walked along the road to Rikkai Dai, Tsugi instantly noticed the breathtaking scenery along the road. The sparkling clear water and golden sands along the beach were a refreshing view from the cluttered streets of Tokyo. Kanagawa was famous its beautiful sea view.

Soon, they arrived at the general office where they were greeted by a middle-aged woman with a friendly smile.

"Excuse me, madam, I'd like to claim my schedule please."

"What's your name, young lady?" The lady peered kindly at her.

"Yanagi Asaitsugi, madam," Tsugi answered. Asaitsugi was her full name, but it was too much of a mouthful which was why all her friends and relatives called her Tsugi instead.

"Oh, you're the transfer student. Let me see, I'm sure I put it around here… Ah, here it is! There you go, Yanagi-san," A look of realization crossed the lady's eyes and she began to dig around her table. Soon, a bright smile emerged on her face and she handed Tsugi a laminated sheet as well as a form.

"Please have your first period and last period teachers sign this form as well," The lady specifically instructed.

"Thank you very much… Sawada-san," Tsugi discreetly peered at the lady's nametag and replied politely.

"Let me look at your schedule," Renji took Tsugi's schedule from her and glanced through it. A quaint smile crawled onto his face when he saw her class. "Oh? You're in the same class as Yukimura. He's a regular on the boys tennis team as well."

"There are more first year regulars?" Tsugi blurted out with a surprised look. It already shocked her that Renji was already a regular even though he was still a first year, but he was telling her that there were more? Surely there couldn't be so many hidden talents in their cohort. She had heard about Rikkai Dai's stringent requirements and woah, despite having consistently been placed in the top 10 of the female tournaments, Tsugi wasn't confident of making it onto Rikkai Dai's regular team in her first year at all. This was King Rikkai Dai, the reigning national sports champion. First year regulars were nearly unheard of in Rikkai Dai because it usually took students at least a year to get used to the rigor of Rikkai Dai's sports training regiment. That being said, even second year regulars were a rare sight.

"There are a total of three first year regulars in the boys tennis team this year," Renji flashed Tsugi an elusive smile, "but Yukimura is far by the strongest. He's nicknamed the 'Child of God'."

"Three first year regulars and one who's titled the 'Child of God'? He must be pretty amazing," Tsugi commented with a small smile on her own face. For Renji to speak of a person with such admiration says a lot about this boy called Yukimura.

"Yukimura has never dropped a game since he started competing in official tournaments," Renji explained as they walked up the stairs, "not even against the third year seniors." His tone was as calm as if he was just making a casual comment on the weather.

… Woah. Not even the best tennis players in the world can guarantee that they will win a match without dropping a game, not even when they were still competing at national level. Perfect scores every single game? Was that even possible? Amidst her bewilderment, Tsugi found herself anticipating her meeting with that boy called Yukimura.

"We're here," Renji gestured to Tsugi, "you can ask your classmates to guide you around for the rest of day. I'm in class 1-B, I'm sorry but you'll have to wait for me after school because I have club practice. You can ask Yukimura to show you the way to the courts after school. If there's anything urgent, my phone is always available."

"That's alright. I have to hand in my application to Rikkai Dai girls tennis club as well."

"Have Yukimura show you the way to the courts. The girls' courts are right next to the boys'," After ensuring that he didn't leave anything out, Renji turned and ambled down the stairs, carrying a certain grace about his movement. He didn't bother to introduce Yukimura to Tsugi, because he was absolutely positive that Tsugi would be able to identify Yukimura as soon as she saw him. Yukimura was simply… different.

Tsugi stepped into the classroom and was met with the beady eyes of her Art teacher. Before she could say anything, her Art teacher already spoke.

"So you're the new student. You may call me Matsumoto-sensei. Now, if you would please, could you introduce yourself to the class?" The wizened old woman standing before the class, now identified as Matsumoto-sensei sneered in a squeaky voice very befitting of her appearance. She had already seen the miserable Art grade of this transfer student back in her school in Tokyo, and she certainly wasn't expecting too much from her. Troublesome, troublesome sports students. Most of the sports students she had taught were brutes who couldn't appreciate a fine art.

Yukimura was an exception. He was the only sports student who displayed potential in her class.

"Good morning Matsumoto-sensei and everybody. My name is Yanagi Asaitsugi, I've just transferred over from Tokyo. I play tennis. I hope we'll get along well," Tsugi gave the class a warm smile as she looked over her new classmates. Her gaze stopped momentarily on one boy.

He was easily the most beautiful boy she had ever seen. His shoulder-length ocean-blue hair was worn in an unruly hairstyle that did nothing to undermine his elegance. His complexion was pale, as though he had been living a life deprived of sunshine. That boy was smiling, but his aquamarine eyes were cool and distant. He looked as though he was watching the world from a bystander's point of view, so calm and collected, so out of the world. He wasn't paying attention to her self-introduction until she mentioned 'tennis'. She saw his chest stop moving for a moment —very subtle evidence that he had terminated his space journey and made a short detour back to Earth— but he still didn't look at her. His eyes were nailed to nothing. Tsugi didn't know why, but she had a hunch that this devastatingly beautiful boy was the 'Child of God' Renji was telling her about. There wasn't a second boy in the classroom who could hold to his regal aura.

She tore her gaze away from him. That moment when she laid her eyes on him, it seemed to have been an eternity when it was really a mere few seconds.

If she was asked to use a flower to describe Yukimura, she'd have probably said blue rose. No hesitation, no uncertainty, it'd be an automatic response.

Because a person like Yukimura was too unearthly to be real.

"Alright, you can take a seat at the corner over there," Matsumoto-sensei grunted as she pointed a gaunt finger at the seat right behind Yukimura.

"Sensei, could you please sign this slip for me?" Tsugi suddenly recalled the piece of paper given to her by the general office staff. She took it out from her hand-held file and handed it to Matsumoto-sensei who gave a disgruntled sigh and mumbled something along the line of "troublesome transfer students" before she put her pen to the paper. Matsumoto-sensei gave the slip back to Tsugi who quickly uttered a 'thank you' and turned to proceed to her seat.

After she was seated, Matsumoto-sensei began her drawling about the history of sculpture crafting. Tsugi tried to pay attention to the lesson, but she lost her focus after a miserable ten minutes. Art simply wasn't her cup of tea. Suddenly, Tsugi felt a jab at her rib. She jolted up and nearly squealed but she remembered that she was in class so she mustered all her self-control and kept herself nailed to the seat. That was ticklish! She turned to face the girl sitting beside her who gave her an apologetic smile. She pointed at her book and Tsugi instinctively looked down on her table. Without her knowledge, an insidious piece of paper had ninja'd its way to her table.

Hey, Yanagi-san! Welcome to Rikkai Dai. My name is Tatsubaya Geishi. You can call me Geishi (:

Passing note in class was so clichéd but Tsugi couldn't help but to allow her lips to curl.

Call me Tsugi, Geishi.

Tsugi scribbled on the note and slipped it back.

Then we are friends from now on. ^~^ I can show you around the school during lunch later! By the way, I saw you looking at Yukimura-san. Do you happen to know him?

Ah no… I heard about him from my cousin. He's an impressive tennis player.

I know right? Yukimura-san is awesome! Not to mention he's really good-looking.*-*

… Before Tsugi and Geishi realised it, lesson was already over. Geishi turned around and gave Tsugi a huge grin.

"Finally I can talk to you! The moment I saw you, I knew I had to make friends with you!" Geishi exclaimed ebulliently. Geishi was an energetic red-haired girl with a striking personality.

"Really? I'm flattered," Tsugi gave a coy smile which humored Geishi.

"I like you, c'mon up we have to get to our next class," the loud redhead grabbed Tsugi and began sprinting down the corridor, "Rai-sensei isn't nearly as understanding as Matusmoto-sensei. Don't ask me why, you'll see it later."

Tsugi soon found out why Geishi detested the English teacher Rai-sensei. No, detested was an understatement, in Geishi's exact words, the sight of Rai-sensei was so revolting that she'd save her lunch money if his lesson was the period just before lunch. Luckily for her, it wasn't. It so happened that the English teacher Rai-sensei was Geishi's cousin's boyfriend. You'd expect him to go lax on her but no. It was precisely because he was dating Geishi's cousin that Rai-sensei had made it his job to see to it that Geishi excelled in his class. While his method of teaching was harsh, it worked wonder for Geishi. From a normal student playing just slightly above the passing line, Geishi's English grade miraculously skyrocketed to being the best in the cohort – even dethroning the Yukimura. English class was a breeze for Tsugi because of the influence of her parents. With a mother who worked as a translator and a father who was a spokesman of the same company, it was hardly surprising that both her written and oral skills were flawless.

When Tsugi entered the classroom, she immediate gave a clear, sophisticated apology which was eloquently enunciated and delivered – in English. Geishi's mouth was left agape. Clearly, Rai-sensei was pleased by her proficiency in his subject because he didn't punish her for entering class late. On the other hand, Geishi was given a good, long and extensive dressing down. Geishi didn't bother to mention that she was zoning out for over half of Rai-sensei's display of his prowess in English. This was favoritism in its most empirical form.

Over the course of the day, Tsugi was introduced to several other people from the class, but she still hadn't exchanged a word with Yukimura. When the school bell was sounded, Tsugi declined Geishi's invitation to go home together explaining that she has to turn in her application form to the tennis club. Geishi nodded and left first, leaving Tsugi to approach Yukimura by herself.

"Please excuse me, Yukimura-san. Could you show me the way to the tennis courts?" Tsugi requested tentatively, unsure if Yukimura would agree to it. She wouldn't be surprised if Yukimura turned her down, because she was pretty certain that his admirers had tried using this method to get near to him before. But she really, really needed to get to the courts, and he was the one whom Renji recommended.

"It would be my pleasure, Yanagi-san," Much to Tsugi's surprise, Yukimura agreed without making any attempts to brush her off. It was only after a long time she realized, that this was how he kept his admirers at bay.

Yukimura made a polite gesture for Tsugi to follow him. Wordlessly, she treaded behind him.

They didn't exchange a second word on the way to the court.

"The girls' courts are over there, you should be able to find the seniors if you go into the club room. I believe their practice starts in about half an hour," Yukimura pointed a lithe finger at the warehouse-lookalike building a distance behind the courts.

"Thank you very much, Yukimura-san," Tsugi nodded, "I'll see you around."

"You're most welcome," With a warm smile, Yukimura turned to enter the courts in a swag motion. It wasn't the sloppy, plebeian kind of swag, but a swag that emitted a kind of majestic aura. The boss's swag. She couldn't help but to wonder how Yukimura managed to pull off everything so perfectly, each swish and sway of his jersey seemed to be calculated right down to the precise angle to bring out the ethereal beauty of the owner. Normally, people who wore their jersey in the same manner as Yukimura would be thought as sloppy, but Yukimura wasn't normal, though he wasn't abnormal in a bad way at all.

She shrugged the thought off and turned to head for the female club room to turn in her application form. The seniors were friendly and did a routine trial with her. As far as Tsugi could tell, they were satisfied with her standards. She was made to stay for practice on the same day and was subsequently informed that because the Prefectural Tournament was ongoing, she only needed to attend practice on every Wednesday –which happened to be that day– as of now. Rikkai Dai didn't have those 'first years can only pick up balls' kind of rules. As long as you were good, you were allowed to play on the courts. She wasn't a top-notch player but she had her own merit. Because of her volleying technique, she was a good sparring partner for those who needed to build on their speed. Nevertheless… she still wasn't good enough to make the team yet.

The social hierarchy of Rikkai Dai wasn't an easy mountain to scale. If you were called a genius beyond Rikkai Dai, it was highly likely that you were just hitting the basic requirement to qualify as normal in the school. It took more than elusive things like talent to climb the Rikkai Dai social ladder or even be acknowledged. Concrete skills were a must and only national champions had any grounds to stand in Rikkai Dai sports clubs.

Because they were King Rikkai Dai, the reigning national sports champion.

~x~

"Yukimura," Renji greeted Yukimura with a light nod when the ocean-haired boy entered the courts.

"Yanagi," Yukimura returned the greeting. "Where is Sanada?" He proceeded to ask, upon noticing that his vice-captain wasn't here yet. It was a rare occasion Sanada would enter the court late. He was usually the first to reach.

"Genichirou was asked to stay back to help the teacher, he'd be late today," Renji replied as he proceeded to take his racquet out of the bag. The strings were a bit loose; he'd have to restring this racquet.

"I see," Yukimura smiled at Renji, "well then, shall we begin?"

~x~

Beautiful. Astounding. Flawless.

Those were the words floating around in Tsugi's mind when she watched Yukimura play. He played with this impeccable grace as he dominated the court. Even an amateur could tell that this boy was at the very top of his game, and nobody in his age group was a close second to him – not now, at least. Clairvoyance was an urban legend and nobody truly could see into the future.

"G-game and match to Yukimura Seiichi, 6 games to love!" The umpire mechanically announced. He was obviously still dazzled by Yukimura's display of prowess when the match had already ended.

"That will be it for today, you are all dismissed," Yukimura called out after he scored the last point. His breath was even, unlike the short, erratic huffs that were coming out of his opponent's mouth.

Tsugi blinked. Wasn't dismissal something to be called only by the captain? She felt as if something was bursting out from a corner in her mind. Then, her eyes widened.

"Hai, Yukimura-buchou!" The people in the courts chorused synchronically.

… He was the captain of the boys tennis club? Tsugi glanced down at the emblem of her uniform. This was Rikkai Dai, wasn't it? How was it possible that a first year was the captain of one of Rikkai Dai's niche sports? Tsugi shook her head in disbelief.

Renji soon came out. He saw the weird expression on Tsugi's face, something between a constipated look and being awestricken. He carefully ran through Tsugi's data in his mind, and soon came to a conclusion regarding the reason behind her shock. He put his hand on Tsugi's shoulder, startling her.

"Oh, Renji, it's you," She blinked, quickly regaining her composure in front of him, like the dumbstruck girl from before never existed.

"We should be heading home now," Renji tilted his head slightly, choosing not to discuss her ludicrous expression from just a few seconds ago. He turned to walk towards the school gate; Tsugi plodded half a step behind him.

Yukimura and Sanada saw the two of them from the courts.

"Yanagi is getting soft!" Sanada scowled with a sour face, like he had just witnessed a grotesque scene. Unacceptable, this was unacceptable!

"No, I believe that's not the case," Upon receiving Sanada's inquisitive look, Yukimura continued, "If I'm not mistaken, she's the cousin Yanagi had mentioned to us before. Her name is Yanagi Asaitsugi; a transfer student from Tokyo, I recall." Yukimura put his chin between his thumb and forefinger. Yanagi Renji and Yanagi Asaitsugi… How did he miss the semblance between the two of them when she was introducing herself today? It seemed that he had really been zoning out too often in class.

Sanada gave a snort, like he didn't believe it, but he spoke no more.

"Sanada, you should really give Yanagi more credit. He has more sense than to get into a relationship when competition is just around the corner," Yukimura chuckled, amused by Sanada's tenacity, "Besides, I don't think she's his type either."

"You speak as if you know her very well, Yukimura," Sanada scoffed in a distrusting tone. "But you've only just met her," He pointed out astutely.

"Believe me, Sanada. I can see it," Yukimura shook his head as he flashed Sanada a serene smile, "she's not that hard to read."

Sanada answered with a perfunctory gruff upon hearing Yukimura's words, habitually pulling his cap down. It wasn't as if he wanted to poke his nose into Yanagi's business, but victory must be unconditional. Before Sanada and Yukimura joined Rikkai Dai, they had laid their goal clear and straight already. The target was three consecutive National wins and they would settle for nothing less. This year was the inception of their conquest. They would definitely lead Rikkai Dai to victory, regardless of the costs.

~x~

The walk back to the Yanagi residence was a long one.

"Yukimura has been the captain of Rikkai Dai boys tennis team since the day he joined the club. He defeated every single of the seniors and secured his post as the captain. Besides Yukimura, the vice-captain of the club is also a first year – Sanada Genichirou, nicknamed the 'Emperor'," Renji calmly explained to Tsugi on their way home.

Demons. They were all demons!

Tsugi mused. As if being a first year regular wasn't an enough indicator of their precocity.

"I saw Yukimura-san playing just now. He's really good," Tsugi commented. Good was really an understatement. He'd put up a good fight even against the pros.

"Indeed," Renji consented. Why else would he allow Yukimura to lord over him? He believed that under the lead of Yukimura and Sanada, national championship wouldn't be a dream.

"Ah, by the way, Renji. I think it's alright if I walk home alone from now on. I remember the way back."

"If you say so," Renji nodded.

How was it? I'm not too keen about uploading the rest of the story because this is really special to me. I guess it will depend on how the response goes... I will definitely finish writing HTTW, but I'm not sure if I will upload the rest. This is the first time I wrote something because I felt pained for a character, instead of fangirling over him. O-o

Critiques are welcomed with open arms, but I'd hate to be flamed. It makes me cranky. Reviews are greatly appreciated for this story :)