Pre-Monarchy [Prince of Tennis, Rikkai pre-canon]
Rikkai first-year fic, set between the Kanagawa and Kantou tournaments. 310 Words. Prompt from 31_days. 27 August 2006: Where now are kings and where/ are the men who passed this way before you?. Written a little while ago, but only posting now!
Previous: Where Do We Begin, One Point Shy of Winning, More Than Meets The Eye.
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Pre-Monarchy
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"We might take Kantou?" Gesshin asks. "Well, that's good, that's something. Even if we accomplish nothing else that's still important - we've been winning Kantou for so long now it's expected of us. It would be an embarrassment if we didn't."
"An embarrassment?" Yukimura says. "I'll tell you the real embarrassment; that everyone goes around shouting, 'Always win, Rikkaidai', and yet once Kantou is over everyone is content with just that. What about Nationals, has everyone forgotten them? What do people think of, 'Always win, Rikkaidai' then; when the team come back without the championship? An empty threat - that's what they think. All talk and no follow-through."
"Thank you, Yukimura-kun, for explaining to the rest of the team what we were discussing earlier," Muraoka says warningly, and Yukimura realises this is the most he has spoken in company since joining the club, and the most passionately he has done so, too. And it wasn't really being received well until Muraoka stepped in and took the responsibility for it. Now the voices aren't outraged and shamed, but the murmurs of quietly grudging agreement.
"What you have to remember," Muraoka says later on, in private, "is that to everyone else you're still only a freshman. An exceptionally talented freshman who they are happy to have on their team if it means winning, but that doesn't mean they believe you have knowledge worth contributing. You do," he adds as Yukimura opens his mouth to protest, "but your age is against you right now. There's too much prejudice. I apologize for ruining your speech, but it may have led to a riot had I left you berating Rikkai's entire attitude to the game."
"But they will listen to you?" Yukimura asks. So long as the message gets through he can't find it in him too care overly much just now.
"Let's hope so, for all our sakes."
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Previous: Where Do We Begin, One Point Shy of Winning, More Than Meets The Eye.
-
Pre-Monarchy
-
"We might take Kantou?" Gesshin asks. "Well, that's good, that's something. Even if we accomplish nothing else that's still important - we've been winning Kantou for so long now it's expected of us. It would be an embarrassment if we didn't."
"An embarrassment?" Yukimura says. "I'll tell you the real embarrassment; that everyone goes around shouting, 'Always win, Rikkaidai', and yet once Kantou is over everyone is content with just that. What about Nationals, has everyone forgotten them? What do people think of, 'Always win, Rikkaidai' then; when the team come back without the championship? An empty threat - that's what they think. All talk and no follow-through."
"Thank you, Yukimura-kun, for explaining to the rest of the team what we were discussing earlier," Muraoka says warningly, and Yukimura realises this is the most he has spoken in company since joining the club, and the most passionately he has done so, too. And it wasn't really being received well until Muraoka stepped in and took the responsibility for it. Now the voices aren't outraged and shamed, but the murmurs of quietly grudging agreement.
"What you have to remember," Muraoka says later on, in private, "is that to everyone else you're still only a freshman. An exceptionally talented freshman who they are happy to have on their team if it means winning, but that doesn't mean they believe you have knowledge worth contributing. You do," he adds as Yukimura opens his mouth to protest, "but your age is against you right now. There's too much prejudice. I apologize for ruining your speech, but it may have led to a riot had I left you berating Rikkai's entire attitude to the game."
"But they will listen to you?" Yukimura asks. So long as the message gets through he can't find it in him too care overly much just now.
"Let's hope so, for all our sakes."
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