Fic post from my archive.
Side-story to the Challenge arc. Fuji finally plays a serious match against Tezuka.
Shuusuke was terrified.
All right, perhaps that was a bit strong, but it had been a very long time since he'd felt this kind of tension. Even longer since he'd had butterflies in his stomach and shaking hands over a tennis match.
Fic post from my archive.
The long awaited last match of Nationals.
Seiichi's smile changed, undiluted pleasure added to the satisfaction. It was the last round of Nationals, and they were ready.
Fic post from my archive.
Sanada teaches Kirihara a lesson about teasing. Or, possibly, a lesson in teasing.
The look in Sanada-san's eyes should have warned him.
Fic post from my archive.
During Chapter Ten Yanagi deals with Sanada guilting.
It had been a split-second decision, almost an impulse, really, except for the calculation behind it.
Fic post from my archive.
Takes place during Chapter Seven. Sanada finds an opponent who can help him improve his game, and, perhaps, offer some much needed distraction from his captain's illness. Yanagi notes, in this, the possible start of a dangerous trend.
Genichirou never could decide whether he preferred Seiichi's manner, who invariably drew whatever Genichirou was thinking out of him, or Renji's, who rarely asked since he could usually be assumed to know already.
Fic post from my archive.
Takes place during Chapter Seven. Introspective. Yukimura tries to deal with his debilitation over the winter. Angst, I-5
He tried to sleep as much as possible.
Fic post from my archive.
Immediately following "The Continuation of War", Kirihara finds himself somewhat disturbed by the day's experiences, and Yukimura offers him reassurance.
The lurch as the bus stopped woke Akaya from a half dozing dream that promptly escaped him. All he remembered was that it had involved cutting a tall chain-link fence. And that Fuji had been mixed up in the project. There were really days Akaya wished his subconscious could just send him a memo.
Fic post from my archive.
Immediately after "The Continuation of War", Yanagi and Inui finally get around to talking about how they parted.
He had read descriptions of how it felt to have a dislocated joint realigned, and, from what he recalled, it sounded remarkably like what he had felt this afternoon: a sharp pain accompanied by a hard wrench and a sudden feeling of rightness.
Fic post from my archive.
This story takes place in a quantum bubble of the Challengeverse (maybe it happened, maybe it didn't), immediately following "The Continuation of War". Tezuka offers Oishi some support after his very bad day.
It had not been a relaxing day for Oishi Shuichirou.
Fic post from my archive.
A small snafu leads to some practice time between Rikkai and Seigaku, just before the end of Nationals.
Momo cast his erstwhile opponent a thoughtful glance. "You know, Marui-san," he said, slowly, "all of you are acting really different, today."
Marui cocked an eyebrow at him. "Of course we are," he responded, easily, "Yukimura's back."
Fic post from my archive.
Fuji visits Rikkai, hoping Yukimura can explicate a few things for him.
"Fuji," Seiichi sighed, running a hand through his hair. Still, he had been trying to wake Fuji up for years, now. Something he suspected Fuji had recalled, too.
Fic post from my archive.
Yukimura is finally convinced that he is fully recovered, and is beyond pleased over it.
Seiichi stepped away, and then spun to face them. "It's all here," he said, and Genichirou's throat closed at the wonder in his voice, "I'm all here, still. Again."
Fic post from my archive.
Kirihara decides to tease Sanada, and the results are about what one might expect.
"Do you remember what I said about teasing, Akaya?" he asked, softly.
Pressed against the length of Sanada-san's body, so tightly he could feel as well as hear the deep, smooth voice, Akaya couldn't hold back a triumphant grin.
"That it works?" he suggested, breathless.
Fic post from my archive.
Yukimura apologizes to the teams his own injured, and picks up a challenge on the way.
Seiichi's eyes narrowed. He had come here to render an apology, but he'd be damned before he stood still to be a source of entertainment for Fuji Shuusuke.
Fic post from my archive.
Sanada and Kirihara address the unproductive aspects of their interpersonal relationship, pursuant to one of Yanagi's observations in "Water Over Fire".
Genichirou tried to take the opinions of his hormones with a grain of salt. Akaya was impulsive, considerably moreso than any other member of the team. Giving his impulses free rein was a large part of what had brought them to their current, slightly uncomfortable, position. It behooved Genichirou to at least make sure his younger teammate thought twice. Even once might do.
Fic post from my archive.
Immediately after Chapter Ten, Sanada (and, to a lesser extent, Yanagi) explains himself to Yukimura.
"You take too much on your own shoulders so often," Renji sighed. "That was exactly what got you into this situation in the first place."
Fic post from my archive.
Just before the end of Chapter Ten Kirihara comes to talk to Yukimura about his final match at Regionals.
If a hawk could smile, it might smile the way Yukimura-san was now.
Fic post from my archive.
The team brings the results to their captain.
"Is it over, do you think?" Yagyuu asked, at last, barely whispering in the silence. He didn't protest when Masaharu twined a hand into his hair, drawing his head down to Masaharu's shoulder.
Fic post from my archive.
For Regionals, the team pulls out all the stops.
Masaharu didn't know about the others, but he'd had to catch Yukimura from falling more than once, while spotting for his "light" practices, and had to carry him back inside twice. He'd watched the frustration his captain could keep out of his voice but couldn't keep out of his eyes, and shuddered to think what it must be like.
Fic post from my archive.
The team starts to recover, and Niou and Yagyuu find another kind of comfort.
It stretched him to the edge of pain, but never quite over. It was, perfectly, everything he desired of his partner, every reason he pressed Yagyuu to let himself go, the extremity of sensation that could have been destruction but, to him, was not.
