Prince of Tennis - Yanagi Renji - 006 - Hours
Title:Starting Over
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Characters: Yanagi Renji, Yanagi Tori, Yanagi Kana, Yukimura Seiichi, Sanada Genichiro, mention of Inui Sadaharu
Prompt: 006. Hours
Word Count: 1,797
Rating: PG
Summary: How to deal with a new life.
Author's Notes: Renji has to have a family. :) Tori is his mother, Kana is his older sister by three years. Takes place when Renji is 11 years old.
It had been almost 24 hours since the Yanagi family had moved into their new dwelling. It was currently late at night, at least late for 11 year old Renji. Renji was curled up on his bed, glad for at least a little familiarity.
"Renji?" His mother paused outside the door, noticing her son was still awake.
"I'm fine" He said, sitting up, trying to hide the emotions that were really starting to hit him.
His mother sat down on the bed. "You don't have to hide it." She said, wrapping her arm around her son. Renji snuggled in against her.
"I miss Sadaharu." Renji said quietly.
"I know there isn't much that can replace your best friend, but you'll make new friends." Tori said.
"You think so?"
"I'm sure. Now go to sleep, Renji." Tori ruffled her son's hair. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
"Yes, mother." Renji said, lying back down under the familiar blankets in the unfamiliar room.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Six hours later, two alarm clocks rang at the same time. Renji's older sister, Kana, quickly claimed the bathroom for her early morning beauty rites. Renji stared at the bathroom door, wondering exactly what Kana was doing in there before deciding that he was better off not knowing.
"We have another bathroom now, short stuff." Kana called from inside the bathroom.
"I know. This one's closer." Renji said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Kana rolled her eyes as she dressed in her new school uniform, and made sure her hair was perfect. "And why couldn't I have remained an only child?" She asked her reflection as she teased her bangs into a perfect curl.
"Because Mom and Dad thought you didn't deserve that." Renji said, smiling a little as Kana came out of the bathroom and ducked in to take a shower.
Renji let the water wash over him, wondering if he really would make new friends.
"Quit wasting the water, Renji!" Kana hollered 20 minutes later. "One, you're going to be late to school, and two, you've been in there too long. Mom says you're not going to have time for breakfast and if you don't eat, she's going to feed your portion to the dog!"
Renji blinked in the shower. "We don't have a dog." He muttered, turning the water off and grabbing a towel. He looked at his own school uniform, sighed, and dressed in it. It felt wierd. Perhaps it just needed laundering as it was mostly itchy, especially around the neck. Renji slid into his seat at the table, quickly said itakimasu, and started eating.
Tori smiled and squeezed her son's shoulder. "It will be fine." She whispered in Renji's ear. Renji just nodded. Tori turned to her daughter. "You are going to make sure your brother finds his class before you even think of running off to your own classes." Kana was on the verge of protest, but bit her lip and nodded, knowing better than to argue with their mother.
Renji, however didn't quite know better. "Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore. I can get to school on my own." He argued, bouncing a little in the chair.
"Maybe tomorrow, Renji." Tori said, smiling. "Go with Kana today." Renji sighed and nodded, finishing up breakfast.
Kana had already gotten to the door and was putting her shoes on. "Come on, already. I don't want to be late, and I know you don't either." She said. Renji nodded and slid his shoes on as well.
Less than a half hour later, Renji was standing outside a classroom, waiting for the homeroom teacher. "Try not to wierd everyone out." Kana had told him. Renji just looked at her like she had grown another head, and she had shook her head and turned to leave.
The homeroom teacher talked briefly to Renji, then slipped inside the classroom to warn the other students of the transfer. Renji steeled himself and walked in the room trying to project an air of confidence as he introduced himself to his new classmates. He was directed to one of the few open seats in the back of the classroom, next to a dark haired boy. Renji didn't pay attention to the name of the other kid. There was a girl seated in front of him and another light haired boy behind him. The window was on his other side.
The teacher got started with their lesson. Renji tried to pay attention, but he had already studied this on his own and was feeling like he wanted to sleep because he was so bored. His eyes slid closed a bit more than usual and he fell into dreams about the historical period dramas he tried to watch, though he always got sent to bed or fell asleep before it was over.
He was awoken a few minutes later when he felt something poking his back.
"Yanagi-kun." The boy behind was whispering. "Wake up."
Renji blinked a little, and resettled himself trying to listen to the teacher again. "It's alright, he's a boring old grump anyway." The boy behind him said. Renji couldn't help but laugh a little at that. The bell rang and they were dismissed for lunch. Renji froze. He knew he had forgotten something. He slumped forward on his desk.
The boy that had woken him up looked at him. "Yanagi-kun?"
Renji didn't answer him at first. "I forgot my lunch." He said quietly.
The other boy just looked a little amused and looked over at the dark haired boy. "I think between Genichiro and myself we can spare some for you."
Renji looked at them. "I don't want to deprive you of your lunches." He said. "Thank you anyway."
The boy called Genichiro set part of his lunch on Renji's desk. "Seiichi says eat, you eat." He said quietly, the barest hint of a smile on his lips. Renji pushed the food around on his desk, quietly said itakimasu and ate the offered food.
"Thank you." He said quietly, trying to hide within himself again. Seiichi looked at Genichiro.
"Where did you move from?" Seiichi was trying to draw Renji out a little.
"Tokyo." Renji answered quickly and kept trying to ignore them. Seiichi sighed.
"We're trying to be your friends, but if you're not going to try to even talk to us."
Renji paused. "Sorry." He said, sitting up. "I..." Renji trailed off.
Seiichi smiled an understanding smile. "Things happen, and I suppose there was a super awesome best friend you left behind. We may not be super awesome, but we can try to be ." Renji turned his head and hid his blush behind his long hair.
Genichiro just nodded. He wasn't as good with words as Seiichi was, nor was he quite as perceptive. "Seiichi is right. We'll be your friends if you let us."
Renji smiled a little. "Alright."
Seiichi grinned. "So does this mean we can call you 'Renji' now?" Renji paused, then nodded. The only people that currently was calling him by his given name were his family and Sadaharu, and Sadaharu didn't count now. "I'm Yukimura Seiichi, and the rather silent one is Sanada Genichiro. And before you ask, I'd rather you called me Seiichi. Best friends are supposed to call each other by name, right?" Seiichi winked at Renji. Renji smiled.
"Does the same go for you, Sanada-kun?" Renji asked, defaulting to a more polite form of addressing the other boy for the moment.
"It does." Genichiro said, finishing his lunch.
Renji nodded, smiling a little as their teacher came back and started lessons again.
"There's only three and half more hours, Renji." Seiichi said from behind him. Renji barely nodded, but appreciated the announcement.
The rest of the day didn't seem quite as boring after that. After the dismissal bell rang, Renji was changing his shoes when Seiichi and Genichiro came up to him. "Want to walk home with us?" Seiichi offered.
"I think my sister is going to pick me up. My mother's rather worried for me, I think." Renji said, catching sight of his sister near the door. "There she is." Renji bowed a little to the other boys. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he headed for the older girl.
Kana had seen the other boys talking to her little brother from outside. "Making some new friends, Renji?" She asked as they walked home.
"Perhaps." He said, holding his head so his hair hid his face.
Kana shook her head. "You're not going to meet another Sadaharu-kun, Renji. He'll always be special to you in many ways."
She smiled. "Perhaps they play tennis too."
"I'm not playing again. There's very little chance I'll ever finish that game with Sadaharu."
Kana smiled, and was glad for once that she understood the way her little brother thought. "But there's still a chance. As long as it's not zero, it just might happen." Renji looked up at her, then smiled.
"You're right, nee-san" Renji said, grinning. They walked into their house. It was very quiet as their father had already started his job, and their mother was out running errands. It would be another hour before their mother got home, another after that before their father came home from work and a half hour after that when they would all sit down to eat dinner.
Renji went upstairs, dragging his homework with him. Who knew sixth graders would have this much homework?
Tori checked on her children after she got home, but before she decided to go fix dinner. She paused in the doorway to Renji's room. "How was school, Renji?" She asked, worried about her son who had never really had any friends other than Sadaharu.
"It was fine." He said, finishing up a math problem. He looked over at his mother. "I made friends with a couple of the boys in my class." He informed her, smiling a little. Tori smiled.
"That's good to hear" Tori went over and ruffled his hair. "You need a hair cut." She said. "I told you things would work out." Renji just smiled.
"Neither of them is like Sadaharu." He said, a bit sad.
"No one is like someone else, Renji." Tori said. "And it makes us better people for having had all these people in our lives. I'm sure that though they're different, that it doesn't mean they can't be good friends in the end." Tori kissed the top of her son's head. "Dinner will be ready in about an hour."
Renji nodded and quickly finished up his home work, then settled into the big chair in the living room with a book. As he flipped a page, he thought the last 48 hours could have been worse.
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Characters: Yanagi Renji, Yanagi Tori, Yanagi Kana, Yukimura Seiichi, Sanada Genichiro, mention of Inui Sadaharu
Prompt: 006. Hours
Word Count: 1,797
Rating: PG
Summary: How to deal with a new life.
Author's Notes: Renji has to have a family. :) Tori is his mother, Kana is his older sister by three years. Takes place when Renji is 11 years old.
It had been almost 24 hours since the Yanagi family had moved into their new dwelling. It was currently late at night, at least late for 11 year old Renji. Renji was curled up on his bed, glad for at least a little familiarity.
"Renji?" His mother paused outside the door, noticing her son was still awake.
"I'm fine" He said, sitting up, trying to hide the emotions that were really starting to hit him.
His mother sat down on the bed. "You don't have to hide it." She said, wrapping her arm around her son. Renji snuggled in against her.
"I miss Sadaharu." Renji said quietly.
"I know there isn't much that can replace your best friend, but you'll make new friends." Tori said.
"You think so?"
"I'm sure. Now go to sleep, Renji." Tori ruffled her son's hair. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
"Yes, mother." Renji said, lying back down under the familiar blankets in the unfamiliar room.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Six hours later, two alarm clocks rang at the same time. Renji's older sister, Kana, quickly claimed the bathroom for her early morning beauty rites. Renji stared at the bathroom door, wondering exactly what Kana was doing in there before deciding that he was better off not knowing.
"We have another bathroom now, short stuff." Kana called from inside the bathroom.
"I know. This one's closer." Renji said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Kana rolled her eyes as she dressed in her new school uniform, and made sure her hair was perfect. "And why couldn't I have remained an only child?" She asked her reflection as she teased her bangs into a perfect curl.
"Because Mom and Dad thought you didn't deserve that." Renji said, smiling a little as Kana came out of the bathroom and ducked in to take a shower.
Renji let the water wash over him, wondering if he really would make new friends.
"Quit wasting the water, Renji!" Kana hollered 20 minutes later. "One, you're going to be late to school, and two, you've been in there too long. Mom says you're not going to have time for breakfast and if you don't eat, she's going to feed your portion to the dog!"
Renji blinked in the shower. "We don't have a dog." He muttered, turning the water off and grabbing a towel. He looked at his own school uniform, sighed, and dressed in it. It felt wierd. Perhaps it just needed laundering as it was mostly itchy, especially around the neck. Renji slid into his seat at the table, quickly said itakimasu, and started eating.
Tori smiled and squeezed her son's shoulder. "It will be fine." She whispered in Renji's ear. Renji just nodded. Tori turned to her daughter. "You are going to make sure your brother finds his class before you even think of running off to your own classes." Kana was on the verge of protest, but bit her lip and nodded, knowing better than to argue with their mother.
Renji, however didn't quite know better. "Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore. I can get to school on my own." He argued, bouncing a little in the chair.
"Maybe tomorrow, Renji." Tori said, smiling. "Go with Kana today." Renji sighed and nodded, finishing up breakfast.
Kana had already gotten to the door and was putting her shoes on. "Come on, already. I don't want to be late, and I know you don't either." She said. Renji nodded and slid his shoes on as well.
Less than a half hour later, Renji was standing outside a classroom, waiting for the homeroom teacher. "Try not to wierd everyone out." Kana had told him. Renji just looked at her like she had grown another head, and she had shook her head and turned to leave.
The homeroom teacher talked briefly to Renji, then slipped inside the classroom to warn the other students of the transfer. Renji steeled himself and walked in the room trying to project an air of confidence as he introduced himself to his new classmates. He was directed to one of the few open seats in the back of the classroom, next to a dark haired boy. Renji didn't pay attention to the name of the other kid. There was a girl seated in front of him and another light haired boy behind him. The window was on his other side.
The teacher got started with their lesson. Renji tried to pay attention, but he had already studied this on his own and was feeling like he wanted to sleep because he was so bored. His eyes slid closed a bit more than usual and he fell into dreams about the historical period dramas he tried to watch, though he always got sent to bed or fell asleep before it was over.
He was awoken a few minutes later when he felt something poking his back.
"Yanagi-kun." The boy behind was whispering. "Wake up."
Renji blinked a little, and resettled himself trying to listen to the teacher again. "It's alright, he's a boring old grump anyway." The boy behind him said. Renji couldn't help but laugh a little at that. The bell rang and they were dismissed for lunch. Renji froze. He knew he had forgotten something. He slumped forward on his desk.
The boy that had woken him up looked at him. "Yanagi-kun?"
Renji didn't answer him at first. "I forgot my lunch." He said quietly.
The other boy just looked a little amused and looked over at the dark haired boy. "I think between Genichiro and myself we can spare some for you."
Renji looked at them. "I don't want to deprive you of your lunches." He said. "Thank you anyway."
The boy called Genichiro set part of his lunch on Renji's desk. "Seiichi says eat, you eat." He said quietly, the barest hint of a smile on his lips. Renji pushed the food around on his desk, quietly said itakimasu and ate the offered food.
"Thank you." He said quietly, trying to hide within himself again. Seiichi looked at Genichiro.
"Where did you move from?" Seiichi was trying to draw Renji out a little.
"Tokyo." Renji answered quickly and kept trying to ignore them. Seiichi sighed.
"We're trying to be your friends, but if you're not going to try to even talk to us."
Renji paused. "Sorry." He said, sitting up. "I..." Renji trailed off.
Seiichi smiled an understanding smile. "Things happen, and I suppose there was a super awesome best friend you left behind. We may not be super awesome, but we can try to be ." Renji turned his head and hid his blush behind his long hair.
Genichiro just nodded. He wasn't as good with words as Seiichi was, nor was he quite as perceptive. "Seiichi is right. We'll be your friends if you let us."
Renji smiled a little. "Alright."
Seiichi grinned. "So does this mean we can call you 'Renji' now?" Renji paused, then nodded. The only people that currently was calling him by his given name were his family and Sadaharu, and Sadaharu didn't count now. "I'm Yukimura Seiichi, and the rather silent one is Sanada Genichiro. And before you ask, I'd rather you called me Seiichi. Best friends are supposed to call each other by name, right?" Seiichi winked at Renji. Renji smiled.
"Does the same go for you, Sanada-kun?" Renji asked, defaulting to a more polite form of addressing the other boy for the moment.
"It does." Genichiro said, finishing his lunch.
Renji nodded, smiling a little as their teacher came back and started lessons again.
"There's only three and half more hours, Renji." Seiichi said from behind him. Renji barely nodded, but appreciated the announcement.
The rest of the day didn't seem quite as boring after that. After the dismissal bell rang, Renji was changing his shoes when Seiichi and Genichiro came up to him. "Want to walk home with us?" Seiichi offered.
"I think my sister is going to pick me up. My mother's rather worried for me, I think." Renji said, catching sight of his sister near the door. "There she is." Renji bowed a little to the other boys. "I'll see you tomorrow." He said as he headed for the older girl.
Kana had seen the other boys talking to her little brother from outside. "Making some new friends, Renji?" She asked as they walked home.
"Perhaps." He said, holding his head so his hair hid his face.
Kana shook her head. "You're not going to meet another Sadaharu-kun, Renji. He'll always be special to you in many ways."
She smiled. "Perhaps they play tennis too."
"I'm not playing again. There's very little chance I'll ever finish that game with Sadaharu."
Kana smiled, and was glad for once that she understood the way her little brother thought. "But there's still a chance. As long as it's not zero, it just might happen." Renji looked up at her, then smiled.
"You're right, nee-san" Renji said, grinning. They walked into their house. It was very quiet as their father had already started his job, and their mother was out running errands. It would be another hour before their mother got home, another after that before their father came home from work and a half hour after that when they would all sit down to eat dinner.
Renji went upstairs, dragging his homework with him. Who knew sixth graders would have this much homework?
Tori checked on her children after she got home, but before she decided to go fix dinner. She paused in the doorway to Renji's room. "How was school, Renji?" She asked, worried about her son who had never really had any friends other than Sadaharu.
"It was fine." He said, finishing up a math problem. He looked over at his mother. "I made friends with a couple of the boys in my class." He informed her, smiling a little. Tori smiled.
"That's good to hear" Tori went over and ruffled his hair. "You need a hair cut." She said. "I told you things would work out." Renji just smiled.
"Neither of them is like Sadaharu." He said, a bit sad.
"No one is like someone else, Renji." Tori said. "And it makes us better people for having had all these people in our lives. I'm sure that though they're different, that it doesn't mean they can't be good friends in the end." Tori kissed the top of her son's head. "Dinner will be ready in about an hour."
Renji nodded and quickly finished up his home work, then settled into the big chair in the living room with a book. As he flipped a page, he thought the last 48 hours could have been worse.