Prince of Tennis - Yanagi Renji - 034. Not Enough.
Title:Dreaming to Remember: Chapter 6. Running from the Weeping Willows
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Characters: Yanagi Renji, Yukimura Seiichi, Inui Sadaharu
Prompt: 034. Not Enough
Word Count: 2,392
Rating: PG-13
Summary:
Overall: Even today, angels and demons are in a quiet war. These boys are entangled in a cycle of reincarnation, and questions from the past are now coming to light. And Yanagi Renji seems to be the center of all this.
Chapter: Renji becomes caught up in the past quite literally. Living as an ancestor of his, more questions form as some are answered. Inui has a visit from Mariel, and Yukimura almost gets over his fear.
Author's Notes:
My LDT found here
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If there's a truth at the end of destiny
The world slowly came in to view little by little. His head must have been hit harder than he first expected it. The lighting in the room was dim, and came from a candle in the corner. Renji blinked. A candle? There was no possible way a hospital would have let someone bring in a candle and especially allowed it to be lit.
He looked around, seeming more and more confused. It looked like an ancient abode. Simple, handmade dishes, crude utensils, and very simple furnishings, including the slab he was lying on. What the hell was going on?
"Ah, you're awake." A large man, similar to Sanada came and checked on him. "Koujun gave you quite a fight the other night." He explained. Except...who was Koujun?
Renji stared at the man for a few moments in confusion. "Genichirou?" He asked, knowing deep down that it was not the young man that he called a friend.
The man looked at him strangely. "He must have hit you harder than we thought. Are you sure you should be up and about, Rei'ichi?"
Rei'ichi? This just made things more and more confusing. Renji shook his head a little to clear it. "Ah...I'll be fine." He reassured the other man in the room. Since this other name had been mentioned, he might as well ask about this person. "Where is...Koujun?" Renji asked.
"In the other room." Genshin answered. "No one is blaming you or him for what happened though."
Renji blinked. That really didn't sound good. "What...did happen?" He ventured.
"You don't remember?" Genshin asked, a bit surprised. Rei'ichi usually remembered everything. He must have taken quite a blow to the head. Renji shook his head slowly, to make sure it wouldn't hurt anymore. That may be a lost cause at the moment considering there was a throbbing pain right behind his eyes.
"Not a bit of it." Renji answered. How could he remember something he wasn't present for? The last thing he remember was standing on a tennis court, playing a match against Akaya and the ball flying wild due to the demon taking over...and that wild ball had come straight for his head.
"Koujun's devil blood took over, and you went after him. You got into a sword fight with him. You're lucky he didn't do more damage than a few cuts and bruises. You hit your head on a rock when he pushed you down. I kept him from causing your demise." Genshin frowned at this part of the recalling of these events. His voice decreased in volume somewhat. "He...barely remembers it. He knows he hurt one of the people he respects most, and he looks like a hurt dog. It's...been hard to keep him from doing himself in. I told him to at least wait until you're awake. It's more dishonorable to kill yourself because you failed at killing another."
That was some unusual logic, but if Renji was in the time period he thought he was, then he supposed it made sense. And this was a century when people actually believed demons and ghosts and such walked the earth among the humans. Renji nodded in answer. "I'll talk to him." He said, understanding the words that were not said. "First, I need a drink." He muttered.
Yukimura Seiichi surveyed the tennis courts at Rikkai University's Junior high division. He frowned. Two of his regulars were missing. One was in the hospital, and the other was just...missing. "Sanada?" He asked softly, not wanting to startle the other teen. "Have you seen Akaya?" Yukimura asked, worried about their second-year ace. The one he had picked to take over his position as captain the next year.
Sanada looked over to Yukimura. "He went to see Yanagi." He answered, and turned back to his own training. Yukimura frown became even deeper. Sanada caught the ball he had been practicing with and turned to Yukimura. "Go talk to him."
"Yanagi or Akaya?" Yukimura asked.
"Yes." Sanada answered, smirking a little, knowing he was telling Yukimura to do something that he didn't want to do. "We'll be fine here." He reassured Yukimura, giving Yukimura no excuses not to go.
What was normally a twenty minute walk from the gates of Rikkai took Yukimura almost an hour. He dragged his feet horribly, his body knowing he did not want to make this trip.
Part of him was relieved when he saw Akaya leaving the hospital. Yukimura ran to catch up to the younger boy. "Akaya!" He called out to him.
"Huh?" Akaya turned around. "Buchou?" He asked, wondering what he wanted. He knew he had skipped practice. Not that there was really a need for it since the tournaments were over, but he knew he was still expected to attend. He hoped that wasn't why Yukimura had chased him all this way. "I'm sorry I skipped practice...I had to see how Yanagi-sempai was."
Yukimura stopped next to him, and smiled a little. "It's fine, Akaya. I think we should talk though."
"You aren't going to see Yanagi-sempai first?" Akaya asked, confused.
"I'm sure Renji will still be there when I get back." Yukimura said, leading the younger boy along with him. "Are you afraid we're blaming you for his condition?" Yukimura asked him.
Akaya had to think on that for a few moments. "I know it's my fault." Akaya answered him. "I'm not even scared of fuku-buchou hitting me for it." Akaya slowed down, dragging the toe of his good tennis shoes across the sidewalk. "I'm more afraid of what Yanagi-sempai will do or say when he wakes up." Akaya said, looking down at his feet.
Yukimura pursed his lips. "Renji isn't normally a violent person. I know he has limits, and I know you didn't do this on purpose and so does he. I'm sure he'll forgive you."
Akaya looked at him. "And if he doesn't?"
Yukimura sighed, and closed his eyes for a moment. "Then he doesn't." He said. Yukimura clasped Akaya on the shoulder. "Don't think too negatively about it, Akaya. You'll only worry yourself into a mess." He said. "Really, I'm sure everything will be fine." It really hadn't been his intention to reassure Akaya about this, but there it was.
Akaya's eyes brightened up at that. "Thanks, Buchou!" He said, feeling somewhat less weighed down by those worries that Renji couldn't put to rest for him at the moment.
Inui looked around his surroundings. It was nothing but white, with no up, down, left or right. He looked down at himself, clad in nothing but a white robe. Frowning, he twitched a muscle in his back which rewarded him with movement of a wing.
"Interesting..." He mused to himself.
"Welcome to Limbo, Sadriel." A voice said. Inui looked around, finally spotting a fellow angel.
"You apparently know me, but I'm afraid I don't know you."
"I am Mariel, the messenger." Mariel bowed to him.
Inui mused for a moment. "If you're a messenger, then I logically presume you have a message for me."
Mariel laughed. "Whatever gave you that idea." He said. "But yes. A friend of yours has been transported out of time. There is nothing to set right or anything, but he needs to wake up. There are two things required for this, and one has to choose to do it of their own will. The other will hopefully happen before this, but this one, you may be able to push along a little."
Inui frowned. "I'd heard about Renji. I don't see what I can do."
"More than you think. Visit him soon. His teammates visit at various times, but that doesn't matter. If they come while you're there, just stick around. And if one tries to run away...that is the one you need to talk to."
"Has anyone told you that you're confusing, yet somewhat straightforward?" Inui asked.
"It's a talent of mine." Mariel said. "That, and it aids me in your world quite well. I'm so well hidden, that no one has any idea I'm even nearby."
Inui rose an eyebrow at that. "Well, then. I suppose you'll be returning me to the real world."
Mariel nodded, and Inui found himself back in his own bed, surrounded by the dark,. "Strange..." He said, and returned to sleep.
The next day, he went to visit Renji.
Renji had found a way to settle into this more ancient lifestyle easier than he expected. It was a bit disturbing, but he was calm about it. The young man that lived with him reminded him quite a bit of Akaya. After having convinced the younger man that he was fine, things seemed to calm down between them, and Koujun watched him curiously, as if he wanted to learn what the other was doing.
"Why'd you become a scholar?" Koujun asked, out of the blue. Renji looked up.
"Martial pursuits are best left to people like Genshin." He answered. Renji had the build to be a warrior, but he actively avoided conflicts. Those were for those more inclined to warfare. "You shouldn't want to be a warrior." He told Koujun. "It only brings pain and suffering to yourself and others."
Koujun made a face. "I don't know what else to do." He said. "Genshin-sama's taught me a lot about fighting. I don't have much of any other talents." He said.
Renji raised an eyebrow. "Then only use your talents and skills to defend. There is no need for senseless violence." He had seen such from Akaya too many times to count, and had saved Akaya from it more times than he wished to count.
Koujun looked thoughtful at that.
Renji looked back to the book he was attempting to read. Language drift was quite a phenomenon.
"What if you can't control it?" Koujun asked quietly, knowing there were times when he couldn't.
Renji looked up, a sorry look on his face. "That's why Genshin and I have taken you in." He said. "You will be able to control it one day. I believe in that fully."
Koujun had a look of hurt on his face. "I'm twenty years old....I'm never going to be able to control it." He said quietly, feeling defeated by his nature. "Rei'ichi-sama? Did you know my parents?" He asked.
The current mind in this body did not, but somehow, this Rei'ichi's memories were still available to Renji. "I did." He answered simply, not offering any other explanations.
"What happened to them?" Koujun finally asked after a while of waiting for answers that were not forthcoming.
Renji looked at him. "Are you sure you want to know?" He asked. Koujun nodded. Renji sighed softly, not wanting to tell him. "There was a war. Both your parents were killed in it. Unfortunately, your parents were on opposing sides, and your father was slain for what he was, and your mother was taken by her own kind and killed for loving him."
Koujun looked slightly horrified. "Why would they do that? And why didn't anyone want me?" He asked.
"It's...complicated." Renji told the boy. He did not want to explain about all the hierarchy of the angels, and why the boy's mere existence was a sin. Renji glanced out the window. "It's late." He commented.
"Yeah, yeah." Koujun said. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Yukimura Seiichi stood at the door of the hospital yet again. He took a deep breath, trying to gather up his nerves yet again. He was one of Renji's best friends. He could do this...Renji had visited him when he was incapacitated. Why did that one incident scare him away from all hospitals now? It wasn't as if he was about to be admitted as a patient.
A tall figure walked past Yukimura. The stranger was someone Yukimura had seen before, but couldn't quite put a name to the face. The figure stopped and turned toward Yukimura. "Are you visiting Renji?" He asked.
Yukimura froze. "Not today." He said, turning away to leave.
The figure caught his arm. "Renji needs you."
"What can I do?" Yukimura whispered, not making a move to remove himself from the stranger's grasp. "I...should have known better than to let them play a match." Yukimura turned around, practically throwing himself into this friend of Renji's. "It's all my fault." He whispered, holding on to the only strength he had found in the last few weeks.
"Yukimura-kun," the other man began, "You can't blame yourself for what God has willed."
Yukimura looked up. "You're one of them." He stated, just knowing, but still not putting a name to the face.
Inui just nodded. "You need to face Renji...and your own fear." He said, understanding what Mariel was talking about now. "Come with me." He offered. It wasn't quite the solution, but for now, it would at least let Yukimura see what condition his teammate and friend was in.
Inui led the way in, finding Renji's room rather easily. Him and Yukimura stared down at the unconscious Renji. Inui could see the tears trying not to fall from Yukimura's eyes. Inui just handed over a tissue quietly.
"Renji's mind isn't quite here at the moment. His mind is in another body at the moment." Inui explained. "He's living the life of an ancestor in the ancient past."
Yukimura looked over at him. "How do you know this?" He asked.
"Mariel."
Yukimura frowned. "Who is the Mariel? He seems to know everything, yet doesn't share everything he knows."
Inui had a slight smile on his face. "I actually said that to his face. The only thing he told me was that this was a talent of his to hide within this world. So he has to be near the rest of us, but where is a mystery."
Yukimura's frown remained in place as he thought. "I'll be back tomorrow." He said. "I need to get home." With that, he turned and left as quickly as he could without breaking out into a run.
Inui sat down and grasped Renji's hand. "Once he comes back of his own will, you'll be that much closer to being yourself again." Inui said quietly. "I hope that you're well wherever your mind has been taken to." Hopefully, all these mysteries would be solved soon, and things would be normal once again.
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Characters: Yanagi Renji, Yukimura Seiichi, Inui Sadaharu
Prompt: 034. Not Enough
Word Count: 2,392
Rating: PG-13
Summary:
Overall: Even today, angels and demons are in a quiet war. These boys are entangled in a cycle of reincarnation, and questions from the past are now coming to light. And Yanagi Renji seems to be the center of all this.
Chapter: Renji becomes caught up in the past quite literally. Living as an ancestor of his, more questions form as some are answered. Inui has a visit from Mariel, and Yukimura almost gets over his fear.
Author's Notes:
My LDT found here
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
If there's a truth at the end of destiny
The world slowly came in to view little by little. His head must have been hit harder than he first expected it. The lighting in the room was dim, and came from a candle in the corner. Renji blinked. A candle? There was no possible way a hospital would have let someone bring in a candle and especially allowed it to be lit.
He looked around, seeming more and more confused. It looked like an ancient abode. Simple, handmade dishes, crude utensils, and very simple furnishings, including the slab he was lying on. What the hell was going on?
"Ah, you're awake." A large man, similar to Sanada came and checked on him. "Koujun gave you quite a fight the other night." He explained. Except...who was Koujun?
Renji stared at the man for a few moments in confusion. "Genichirou?" He asked, knowing deep down that it was not the young man that he called a friend.
The man looked at him strangely. "He must have hit you harder than we thought. Are you sure you should be up and about, Rei'ichi?"
Rei'ichi? This just made things more and more confusing. Renji shook his head a little to clear it. "Ah...I'll be fine." He reassured the other man in the room. Since this other name had been mentioned, he might as well ask about this person. "Where is...Koujun?" Renji asked.
"In the other room." Genshin answered. "No one is blaming you or him for what happened though."
Renji blinked. That really didn't sound good. "What...did happen?" He ventured.
"You don't remember?" Genshin asked, a bit surprised. Rei'ichi usually remembered everything. He must have taken quite a blow to the head. Renji shook his head slowly, to make sure it wouldn't hurt anymore. That may be a lost cause at the moment considering there was a throbbing pain right behind his eyes.
"Not a bit of it." Renji answered. How could he remember something he wasn't present for? The last thing he remember was standing on a tennis court, playing a match against Akaya and the ball flying wild due to the demon taking over...and that wild ball had come straight for his head.
"Koujun's devil blood took over, and you went after him. You got into a sword fight with him. You're lucky he didn't do more damage than a few cuts and bruises. You hit your head on a rock when he pushed you down. I kept him from causing your demise." Genshin frowned at this part of the recalling of these events. His voice decreased in volume somewhat. "He...barely remembers it. He knows he hurt one of the people he respects most, and he looks like a hurt dog. It's...been hard to keep him from doing himself in. I told him to at least wait until you're awake. It's more dishonorable to kill yourself because you failed at killing another."
That was some unusual logic, but if Renji was in the time period he thought he was, then he supposed it made sense. And this was a century when people actually believed demons and ghosts and such walked the earth among the humans. Renji nodded in answer. "I'll talk to him." He said, understanding the words that were not said. "First, I need a drink." He muttered.
Yukimura Seiichi surveyed the tennis courts at Rikkai University's Junior high division. He frowned. Two of his regulars were missing. One was in the hospital, and the other was just...missing. "Sanada?" He asked softly, not wanting to startle the other teen. "Have you seen Akaya?" Yukimura asked, worried about their second-year ace. The one he had picked to take over his position as captain the next year.
Sanada looked over to Yukimura. "He went to see Yanagi." He answered, and turned back to his own training. Yukimura frown became even deeper. Sanada caught the ball he had been practicing with and turned to Yukimura. "Go talk to him."
"Yanagi or Akaya?" Yukimura asked.
"Yes." Sanada answered, smirking a little, knowing he was telling Yukimura to do something that he didn't want to do. "We'll be fine here." He reassured Yukimura, giving Yukimura no excuses not to go.
What was normally a twenty minute walk from the gates of Rikkai took Yukimura almost an hour. He dragged his feet horribly, his body knowing he did not want to make this trip.
Part of him was relieved when he saw Akaya leaving the hospital. Yukimura ran to catch up to the younger boy. "Akaya!" He called out to him.
"Huh?" Akaya turned around. "Buchou?" He asked, wondering what he wanted. He knew he had skipped practice. Not that there was really a need for it since the tournaments were over, but he knew he was still expected to attend. He hoped that wasn't why Yukimura had chased him all this way. "I'm sorry I skipped practice...I had to see how Yanagi-sempai was."
Yukimura stopped next to him, and smiled a little. "It's fine, Akaya. I think we should talk though."
"You aren't going to see Yanagi-sempai first?" Akaya asked, confused.
"I'm sure Renji will still be there when I get back." Yukimura said, leading the younger boy along with him. "Are you afraid we're blaming you for his condition?" Yukimura asked him.
Akaya had to think on that for a few moments. "I know it's my fault." Akaya answered him. "I'm not even scared of fuku-buchou hitting me for it." Akaya slowed down, dragging the toe of his good tennis shoes across the sidewalk. "I'm more afraid of what Yanagi-sempai will do or say when he wakes up." Akaya said, looking down at his feet.
Yukimura pursed his lips. "Renji isn't normally a violent person. I know he has limits, and I know you didn't do this on purpose and so does he. I'm sure he'll forgive you."
Akaya looked at him. "And if he doesn't?"
Yukimura sighed, and closed his eyes for a moment. "Then he doesn't." He said. Yukimura clasped Akaya on the shoulder. "Don't think too negatively about it, Akaya. You'll only worry yourself into a mess." He said. "Really, I'm sure everything will be fine." It really hadn't been his intention to reassure Akaya about this, but there it was.
Akaya's eyes brightened up at that. "Thanks, Buchou!" He said, feeling somewhat less weighed down by those worries that Renji couldn't put to rest for him at the moment.
Inui looked around his surroundings. It was nothing but white, with no up, down, left or right. He looked down at himself, clad in nothing but a white robe. Frowning, he twitched a muscle in his back which rewarded him with movement of a wing.
"Interesting..." He mused to himself.
"Welcome to Limbo, Sadriel." A voice said. Inui looked around, finally spotting a fellow angel.
"You apparently know me, but I'm afraid I don't know you."
"I am Mariel, the messenger." Mariel bowed to him.
Inui mused for a moment. "If you're a messenger, then I logically presume you have a message for me."
Mariel laughed. "Whatever gave you that idea." He said. "But yes. A friend of yours has been transported out of time. There is nothing to set right or anything, but he needs to wake up. There are two things required for this, and one has to choose to do it of their own will. The other will hopefully happen before this, but this one, you may be able to push along a little."
Inui frowned. "I'd heard about Renji. I don't see what I can do."
"More than you think. Visit him soon. His teammates visit at various times, but that doesn't matter. If they come while you're there, just stick around. And if one tries to run away...that is the one you need to talk to."
"Has anyone told you that you're confusing, yet somewhat straightforward?" Inui asked.
"It's a talent of mine." Mariel said. "That, and it aids me in your world quite well. I'm so well hidden, that no one has any idea I'm even nearby."
Inui rose an eyebrow at that. "Well, then. I suppose you'll be returning me to the real world."
Mariel nodded, and Inui found himself back in his own bed, surrounded by the dark,. "Strange..." He said, and returned to sleep.
The next day, he went to visit Renji.
Renji had found a way to settle into this more ancient lifestyle easier than he expected. It was a bit disturbing, but he was calm about it. The young man that lived with him reminded him quite a bit of Akaya. After having convinced the younger man that he was fine, things seemed to calm down between them, and Koujun watched him curiously, as if he wanted to learn what the other was doing.
"Why'd you become a scholar?" Koujun asked, out of the blue. Renji looked up.
"Martial pursuits are best left to people like Genshin." He answered. Renji had the build to be a warrior, but he actively avoided conflicts. Those were for those more inclined to warfare. "You shouldn't want to be a warrior." He told Koujun. "It only brings pain and suffering to yourself and others."
Koujun made a face. "I don't know what else to do." He said. "Genshin-sama's taught me a lot about fighting. I don't have much of any other talents." He said.
Renji raised an eyebrow. "Then only use your talents and skills to defend. There is no need for senseless violence." He had seen such from Akaya too many times to count, and had saved Akaya from it more times than he wished to count.
Koujun looked thoughtful at that.
Renji looked back to the book he was attempting to read. Language drift was quite a phenomenon.
"What if you can't control it?" Koujun asked quietly, knowing there were times when he couldn't.
Renji looked up, a sorry look on his face. "That's why Genshin and I have taken you in." He said. "You will be able to control it one day. I believe in that fully."
Koujun had a look of hurt on his face. "I'm twenty years old....I'm never going to be able to control it." He said quietly, feeling defeated by his nature. "Rei'ichi-sama? Did you know my parents?" He asked.
The current mind in this body did not, but somehow, this Rei'ichi's memories were still available to Renji. "I did." He answered simply, not offering any other explanations.
"What happened to them?" Koujun finally asked after a while of waiting for answers that were not forthcoming.
Renji looked at him. "Are you sure you want to know?" He asked. Koujun nodded. Renji sighed softly, not wanting to tell him. "There was a war. Both your parents were killed in it. Unfortunately, your parents were on opposing sides, and your father was slain for what he was, and your mother was taken by her own kind and killed for loving him."
Koujun looked slightly horrified. "Why would they do that? And why didn't anyone want me?" He asked.
"It's...complicated." Renji told the boy. He did not want to explain about all the hierarchy of the angels, and why the boy's mere existence was a sin. Renji glanced out the window. "It's late." He commented.
"Yeah, yeah." Koujun said. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Yukimura Seiichi stood at the door of the hospital yet again. He took a deep breath, trying to gather up his nerves yet again. He was one of Renji's best friends. He could do this...Renji had visited him when he was incapacitated. Why did that one incident scare him away from all hospitals now? It wasn't as if he was about to be admitted as a patient.
A tall figure walked past Yukimura. The stranger was someone Yukimura had seen before, but couldn't quite put a name to the face. The figure stopped and turned toward Yukimura. "Are you visiting Renji?" He asked.
Yukimura froze. "Not today." He said, turning away to leave.
The figure caught his arm. "Renji needs you."
"What can I do?" Yukimura whispered, not making a move to remove himself from the stranger's grasp. "I...should have known better than to let them play a match." Yukimura turned around, practically throwing himself into this friend of Renji's. "It's all my fault." He whispered, holding on to the only strength he had found in the last few weeks.
"Yukimura-kun," the other man began, "You can't blame yourself for what God has willed."
Yukimura looked up. "You're one of them." He stated, just knowing, but still not putting a name to the face.
Inui just nodded. "You need to face Renji...and your own fear." He said, understanding what Mariel was talking about now. "Come with me." He offered. It wasn't quite the solution, but for now, it would at least let Yukimura see what condition his teammate and friend was in.
Inui led the way in, finding Renji's room rather easily. Him and Yukimura stared down at the unconscious Renji. Inui could see the tears trying not to fall from Yukimura's eyes. Inui just handed over a tissue quietly.
"Renji's mind isn't quite here at the moment. His mind is in another body at the moment." Inui explained. "He's living the life of an ancestor in the ancient past."
Yukimura looked over at him. "How do you know this?" He asked.
"Mariel."
Yukimura frowned. "Who is the Mariel? He seems to know everything, yet doesn't share everything he knows."
Inui had a slight smile on his face. "I actually said that to his face. The only thing he told me was that this was a talent of his to hide within this world. So he has to be near the rest of us, but where is a mystery."
Yukimura's frown remained in place as he thought. "I'll be back tomorrow." He said. "I need to get home." With that, he turned and left as quickly as he could without breaking out into a run.
Inui sat down and grasped Renji's hand. "Once he comes back of his own will, you'll be that much closer to being yourself again." Inui said quietly. "I hope that you're well wherever your mind has been taken to." Hopefully, all these mysteries would be solved soon, and things would be normal once again.