Title: Getting There.
Characters: Kirihara Akaya, Zaizen Hikaru, Yukimura Seiichi.
Notes: This is the first of the Next Generation Arc that I've been wanting to write for a while now. I guess this is what one will call a prologue to the story. It will involve a lot of Rikkai, Shitenhouji, and Hyoutei, because they are my favorite schools, and perhaps some Seigaku, if I can be assed to focus on their characterizations. Mostly, however, it will focus on our lovable second-years-turned-third-years and how they are going to be coping with the changes forced upon them (I will admit bias on Zaizen and Kirihara, though, so you'll see more of them as the chapters roll on).

Now, I'm not sure if I'm going to be putting romance in this fic, but I'm not ruling out the possibility that it might happen if the muse happens to swing that way. Feel free to request something, though there won't be any guarantee of them ever happening.

Mild spoilers for Shin Tenipuri, but not too much.

——

The end of the U-17 camp has only ever highlighted one thing in Kirihara's eyes.

He's not so sure how to take it, not so sure how to feel about it just yet, so he keeps to himself during the final days of camp, eyes shadowed and cast downward whenever he's spoken to, thus appearing far more affected about somethingthan what he intends to show. He's taken to spending his time in his room — or, as others like to say more often, sulking — playing with his portable game console, or tampering with his phone; or in the cafeteria, playing with the dessert in front of him, and staring out into the clear, blue sky that mocks the storm occupying his thoughts.

It is, of course, impossible for other people not to notice the (not-so) subtle changes, especially those who know him well. He tries not to wince at every thoughtful look Sanada throws his way and every gentle prodding Yukimura uses (or attempts to) to coax his problems out of his system. Yanagi has not been as obvious when it comes to showing his worries, but his reticence speaks volumes to Kirihara.

In any case, he has a feeling that they already know what's been bothering him, which is all the more reason for him to go into hiding until the worst has come to pass.

His roommates have been understanding (in as much as they can, anyway, because, let's face it, that's just not going to happen that easily in over a hundred years) of his plight, and let him brood to himself, staying away from the line of fire (not that they really want to stay there and hold his hand or anything). Kirihara wonders if this is because they are all in the same boat, the not-quite-theres stuck between a rock and a hard place, unable to do anything but push and push and push because anything else is just unacceptable.

They have bigger shoes to fill than what they would have liked, and with the way things are going, he idly wonders whether they are going to be ready soon, if at all.

"It's the last day," Zaizen Hikaru says as he slips inside the room, taking off his headphones and setting it down on his nightstand. Kirihara may not admit it out loud, but out of the three second-years living temporarily with him, Zaizen has been the closest to a friend that he has had in a place like this, balancing out Kirihara's giddy childishness with a sarcastic edge. That's fine, he supposes, since Hiyoshi is far too weird for him to deal with (though he is fun to poke fun at) and Kaidoh is just plain irritating (as if Kirihara himself isn't tough to handle). "Are you sure you want to keep holing yourself up in here? Should I start calling you a hermit?"

"You got a better idea, genius?" he asks, wryness that he's earned from the guy slipping in.

"How about a game, moron?" Zaizen asks, mirroring his tone, but there's teeth in the curl of his lips that makes Kirihara smirk. Zaizen may, perhaps, be the most impossible person he's ever met, but he can't deny that he's fun to play with, wit for wit. "It's the last day. They said we can use the courts if we want to. You need to get out before the room starts to smell like you."

Now that he thinks about it, he hasn't played a game against Zaizen at all, and Zaizen has yet to be pushed to show his true skills — even the camp that cracked open many players' true potentials isn't enough to bring out the true strength in Shitenhouji's upcoming tennis captain. Kirihara agrees quickly, letting the previous comment slide due to his excitement, and they make their way down to the courts.

It is their last day, after all, so why not make the most of it?

Despite the fact that they aren't the only ones who have thought of making their last day here end with a spectacular bang, and probably won't be the last, they've managed to find an unoccupied court a little further away from the rest, and before they know it, Kirihara is serving, and Zaizen is swinging his arms to return the favour. They're playing tennis against each other, finally, and that's all that matters.

Zaizen is elegant, Kirihara thinks in between fast serves and game breaks, in the way he moves, almost like a tiger prowling the savannah with an easier grace than the lions who assume that they own the world. He's downright cocky, reminding Kirihara of Echizen (to his grave annoyance), but only because he knows exactly where he stands. His pride is subtle, only obvious when he's playing, returning a shot, making a point, serving a game. Some time in between a long rally, he is reminded why Zaizen has gone as far as he has, and the player he can be if he's given the chance to prove himself.

"Heh," he remarks, seeing the bouncing ball in front of the net, after the perfectly executed drop shot that Zaizen has handed in. With the amount of strength and passion they have placed in their shots, the subtlety of it does come as a pleasant surprise to Kirihara. "Not bad."

Zaizen smirks, rueful as always. "Still holding back?"

"I should be asking you that," he replies, eyes glinting. "I'm going to win."

The smirk widens, and with a shake of his head, Zaizen serves.

• • •

He realizes, near the end of their last set, that they have managed to attract some audience, from the high school hotshots who have finally seen the light in the way the middle-schoolers have ousted them, to the said middle-schoolers who have watched them all with twinkles in their eyes and excitement in their faces. The third-years, especially, have been widely interested in the match (he can hear Marui yelling something incoherent from afar), and when Kirihara finally takes the set with a 6-4 win, there's a scattering of applauses that makes him and Zaizen roll their eyes.

"I thought you were going to stop holding back," Zaizen accuses him lightly as they sit down on the bench, catching their breaths after their battle is over.

Kirihara shoots him a dirty look. "Like you're one to talk."

"'A wise man keeps some of his talents in reserve,'" Zaizen quips back, quoting something that Kirihara knows he's heard that somewhere before, and rolls his eyes yet again.

"Only you would say that and be able to keep your face."

Zaizen eyes him, mildly amused. "Only you would say that and be able to keep talking."

"Don't think I'm going not going to get you for that, bastard," Kirihara barks back as he throws a towel over his head, his elbows resting on his knees. He's far too tired than he cares to admit. "You're lucky for now."

Zaizen doesn't hold back the sarcasm. "I'm afraid, really."

Kirihara looks down on the hard court as sweat drips from his forehead. He breathes in, breathes out, feeling the audience watching them disperse, feeling Zaizen move beside him — to drink water, to change shirts, to wipe his face. Right now, still stuck with adrenaline rush despite an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion, he still hears the whispers and the murmurs and the soft padding of footsteps around him. "We'll settle this in the Nationals. I won't hold back then, so neither should you."

He feels Zaizen stop for a bit, before he moves again, this time with only an ounce of disbelief, laced with dry humor, in his voice. "You think your team is gonna get in next year?"

"What are you blabbering about? Rikkai will win next year." Kirihara grabs his towel and throws it at him, for good measure. "And you can't stop us, no matter how hard you try."

Zaizen's lips curl as he catches the cloth, a challenge accepted. "We'll see about that."

• • •

At the end of the day, while Kirihara contemplates the possibility that his jab might or might not have sparked Zaizen's competitive streak to soar even higher, thus making the next year even harder for himself (though admittedly more enjoyable), over dinner, Yukimura goes to his table sits in front of him. He's smiling in that way he always does whenever he wants someone to listen to him first before they can say anything else. Thankfully, Kirihara doesn't visibly flinch at the sudden intrusion nor does he squirm under the plain gaze.

"I saw your match against Shitenhouji's second year today," Yukimura says mildly, ignoring the sudden uncomfortable aura that has surrounded the two of them. It's awkward at best, but Kirihara is thankful that Yukimura is tactful enough to throw him a lifeline. "Congratulations in winning. He's Zaizen Hikaru-kun, isn't he? Shiraishi mentioned that he will be Shitenhouji's new captain once the new school year rolls in."

"Yeah, he is," he replies, wondering with minimal wariness as to where this conversation is going. He has a feeling, but he doesn't want to let his nerves get the best of him.

"He's your roommate, correct?"

"Mm."

"Who else?"

Kirihara scowls, but he doesn't show anything else that conveys his confusion. Or his suspicion. "Hyoutei's Hiyoshi Wakashi and Seigaku's Kaidoh Kaoru." There's a beat of silence as Yukimura processes this, but Kirihara is ahead of him. He's already thought a little bit of this. "Next year, they're probably going to be their school's captains, along with Fudomine's Kamio Akira. I could be wrong, though," he adds as an afterthought, but his tone suggests that he probably really isn't. Atobe and Tezuka have already conveyed their messages to their intended successors during that go-play-against-your-supposed-doubles-partner-or-go-home fiasco (why, oh why, would they even chose those two as their partners in the first place, Kirihara will never guess), and Tachibana isn't going to break against the mold. He'll probably do something similar once they've returned home.

"Are you intimidated?" Yukimura smiles, but even a stranger will notice that his curiosity is genuine.

Kirihara doesn't repress the snort that comes out of him. "No. They'll be strong, sure, and they'll probably get even stronger, but I'll surpass them all. I'm playing to win." He meets his captain's gaze, eyes hard and passionate and glimmering with all the hope and determination that he can muster. "Rikkai is going to reclaim the championship, at Kantou, at the Nationals."

And then, he promises silently, I'm going to defeat you.

He holds his breath as he watches the flutter of emotions etched on his captain's face, the expressions that he has neither time nor patience (nor skill) to decipher, but when Yukimura smiles at him, honest and full of support and relieved, he knows that he has done and will do well. He will do better than he has ever done before, just because of this trust shown to him. He knows that there is no other option for him but to go higher, because he will not allow himself to fail that smile.

I will wait, it says. So keep your word.

I trust you.

"You've grown well, Akaya," Yukimura murmurs, satisfied. "I'm glad."

Kirihara hasn't won anything yet, doesn't even have the title of buchou stuck at the end of his name just yet, but he feels as though he has already won the world.

——

Random facts: According to PairPuri Vol.6, Hiyoshi, Kaidoh, Kirihara, and Zaizen are rooming together during the U-17 camp in the Shin Prince of Tennis manga. I thought that it was just so fitting. Too bad Kamio was in another room, or it really would have been a great fanfic fodder.

A wise man keeps some of his talents in reserve (能ある鷹は爪を隠す): Literally, the talented hawk hides its claws. This is Zaizen's favorite motto, according to his profile in the 40.5 TeniPuri fanbook.

——

Last Edited: 14-Feb-2012