DISCLAIMER: I don't own Prince of Tennis.

A/N: Inspired by all the matcha drank. And it is nice to take a break from romance once in a while and be reminded that we really don't need romance to feel connected with others. Plus, I think Yanagi and Oishi would get along well too. They are both so traditional.

NOTE: Future fic. Tezuka is pursuing tennis out of the country.

Seiun

~青雲~

An entire week had passed, it was Thursday again.

Ten o'clock sharp.

Oishi arrived at the front gate of Yanagi's house. And as usual, the other was already there, waiting patiently.

Oishi greeted the other with his normal gentle smile.

"Good morning, Renji."

The other replied with his own calm uplift of lips.

"Good morning, Syuichirou."

Many times, Oishi felt as if looking at Yanagi was like looking at a mirror. It was not to say that they shared the same physical appearance. Rather, they were similar people, sharing elegance in their names, mellowness in their personalities, and fiery passion under their calm facades.

It was strange how similar people got along so easily. They were already on a first name basis with each other.

"Let us enter."

Yanagi led him in.

They now began their usual Thursday ritual.

…

"I have a surprise for you."

Oishi announced after they settled down on their knees on the tatami mats.

"Oh? Is that so?" Yanagi was mildly intrigued when Oishi presented an item wrapped in black cloth.

As he began undoing the loose knots, he explained. "Yes. I found this at a shop during my trip to Kyoto last week. I thought it may intrigue you with its uniqueness."

The dark cloth opened into a flat plane, and a small can was planted in the center. Oishi reached for it slowly, plucking it from the black cloth with the amount of care comparable to the workers who plucked the tender young tea leaves from tea bushes in spring.

He uncapped the cylinder, and showed its contents to the other.

Yanagi looked on. Surprise lifted his brows.

"This is matcha?"

Oishi nodded, satisfied with the other's reaction.

"Yes. It is called 'Seiun.' Fitting name for this, is it not?" Unlike the regular matcha powder that never strayed from the normal shades of green, the one Oishi presented to Yanagi was a turquoise-colored matcha powder.

It was the color of the ocean.

It was the color of the sky.

It was the color of a pine-filled forest.

It was a mixture of all three.

"Allow me to make this for you today."

Yanagi nodded. "Please."

Their Thursday ritual, a tea ceremony for two, began.

And like all previous Thursdays, he began in a short and silent meditation. It was to remind him of their similarities.

That alone was the reason they sat down to enjoy tea together, time after time.

Satisfied, he shifted his attention to the setup before him and bowed humbly.

…

From the cleaning of the utensils, to the warming of the chawan, to the scoops of matcha with the chashaku, to the addition of water in the chawan, to the whisking of the matcha with the chasen, Oishi's entire focus was given to the deliberate performance of each individual step.

Even though Yanagi sat observing him silently, Oishi could still hear the same words of wisdom the other had spoken on the first Thursday beginning their ritual.

"The amount of effort you put into each of your actions will determine the outcome of the tea."

The intense aroma of nature, of the ocean mixed with the pine forest, brought his fast whisking to an end.

Oishi withdrew his chasen and picked up the irregularly-shaped chawan and laid the bottom flat upon his open palm. He turned the bowl three times, watching the blue-green foam on the surface of the sea-colored liquid.

Finally, he placed it on the floor before his friend.

"Please."

Yanagi bowed respectfully in appreciation. He lifted the bowl to his lips with his two hands and drank.

When he was finished, he placed the chawan back down on the floor.

What had been left was a small cloud of blue-green foam.

Oishi looked at him with mild anticipation.

"So?"

Yanagi smiled a knowing smile. But Oishi could not read his thoughts, especially when the other's eyes were shut.

After a while, Yanagi spoke.

"Your preparation was flawless. However, what I consumed was not regular usucha."

Oishi blinked, confusion surfacing in emeralds.

"I apologize. I do not understand."

Yanagi smiled mysteriously again.

"The matcha you prepared was too thick to be usucha." Yanagi paused to enjoy the other's confusion, then cut him short of his thoughts before he could ponder upon his mistake. "The tea was thick with emotion."

His words surprised the other.

"That was your emotion." The other's reaction proved his words true, Yanagi knew. "The yearn I tasted was sweet on my tongue. Yet, it became bitter for the heart when I swallowed it… There is someone you are missing."

That was it. And Oishi felt as if his heart was to break through his ribs, rip open his chest and run away in embarrassment.

It took him some time to calm himself. When he did, he thought about Yanagi's words, and how they exhumed that locked up part of him.

Yanagi's hypothesis was correct.

Memory triggered his yearn.

The moment the vendor presented him with the sample of the matcha at the tea shop, the sea-colored liquid reminded him of the fishing trips he took so many years ago with the one he loved.

Not only that, even after he had consume the sample, even after what had been left in the chawan was merely the foam like the one Yanagi left behind, he stared at the remnants was reminded of the past.

The cloud in the chawan was but a cloud left behind when the other took off to the distant skies. Left behind, just like he was left behind.

And even after so many years, even after he had lost track of time, he still missed that special someone.

Seiun became, then, a vessel for him to pour his yearn into.

"Syuichirou."

Yanagi's voice led him back gently to reality.

Oishi smiled apologetically.

"I apologize for being inattentive."

Yanagi shook his head.

"No. You are not at fault." The other looked at him, serious. "We must accept that drinking tea may bring up past memories, and in turn, provoke our emotions. That is how we let go. That is how we are able to live in the present, live in the now."

Oishi nodded, smiling in appreciation.

"Aa. Thank you, Renji."

Yanagi nodded, and his lips lifted into his usual tiny smile. He turned his attention back to the tea utensils.

"Now, allow me to return your present to me."

Following the same deliberate yet smooth and graceful actions of the other before him, Yanagi produced a bowl of Seiun matcha.

He presented it to his companion.

"Please."

Oishi bowed gratefully and consumed the drink. When he put down the chawan, the other asked calmly.

"What are your thoughts?"

Rich emeralds became clouded with confusion.

"I… I don't know…" He admitted. "The matcha tasted excellent…but there is something else…something I cannot grasp too firmly…"

Yanagi watched him struggle with the right words. Sometimes people get stuck speechless, whether it be the lack of experience they have with their emotions or the limited amount of words they can choose from their vocabulary.

"It is a familiar feeling… Is it not?" Yanagi probed at his thoughts.

"Yes. It was like…like…" Oishi searched quickly for the right word. It came to him, violently. "Like sadness!"

He shot up from his seat. Realizing how he had just disturbed the tranquility and the formality of the tea ceremony, he blushed and sank down to his knees again.

"Yes, you are correct." Yanagi's voice held slight amusement. His tone then grew quiet, solemn, again. "But this time, it is my emotion. It is my sadness."

Oishi's eyes widened.

"Then… Does that mean..." That you share the same yearn as me?

"Aa." He smiled, nostalgic. "That person is from my past too. And I am fully aware of his presence in my memory."

That was why Yanagi understood the sadness he had unconsciously whisked into his tea.

That was why Yanagi advised him to accept his own emotion.

Because Yanagi had already crossed the bridge connecting the past and the present. It was how he was able to live comfortably in the present, accepting his past.

As Oishi looked at Yanagi now, he cannot help feel as if he was peering into a mirror once more. Like the past peering into the present. Or rather, the present peering into the future.

Oishi knew, that one day, maybe soon, he will come to fully accept his past, accept that perhaps that person he was missing was really gone and maybe not coming back anytime soon, or ever. He would accept just as Yanagi had accepted his own important someone was not coming back.

The thought put him at peace.

If every experience of sadness mended him into a gentler person, he felt himself smiled more tenderly at the other.

"Renji, allow me to brew you another bowl."

He would put his gratitude into this bowl, he thought. All of it.

Yanagi nodded, smiled knowingly when he caught a glimpse of the other's plan in emeralds sparkling anew.

Their Thursday ritual, a tea ceremony for two, continued.

And like all previous Thursdays, he continued in a short and silent meditation.

It was to remind him of their similarities, the reason they began the ritual in the first place.

NOTES:

Seiun means "blue cloud". It is Ippodo's extra-premium matcha powder. If you're thinking about trying it, it is definitely worth it~

Chawan is the tea bowl.

Chasen is the tea whisk.

Chashaku is the matcha tea scoop.

Usucha is 'thin-consistency tea.' It is made during casual tea ceremonies, as opposed to 'koicha' (thick tea), which is made during formal tea ceremonies. On the side note, a decent quality matcha is required to make koicha, or else the tea would come out to be really bitter and disgusting.

If you are wondering about the person from Oishi's past, you really don't need to know, because that is not that important. And, as for Yanagi... All I can say is...there are a lot of possibilities... So, it can be whoever you want it to be.

Special Recommendation: Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie. If the style of this piece looked familiar to you, this book is the reason.