'When You Reach Me' for Weaver_Miethra
For: weaver_miethra
Title: When You Reach Me
Characters: Yagyuu, Niou, rest of Rikkai
Rating: PG/PG-13
Summary: Yagyuu goes on a search.
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: Copyright belongs to Konomi-sensei.
A/N: None.
The postcards start arriving during Yagyuu's second year of university. He sets them on a little shelf next to his laptop. They accumulate steadily. He eyes them occasionally between reports and assignments, but for the most part they go ignored...
Until he figures out the pattern.
Yagyuu pulls them out of their nook and arranges them all with the picture on the front facing down. He pushes up his glasses and stares at the image before him. In hasty, slightly broken kanji is the phrase 'come find me.'
It takes him an hour to make his decision.
--
He really shouldn't go. Knows he needs to stay and finish up the year, but he takes a break at semester and travels back to Kanagawa. Yagyuu's father gives him a brief lecture on taking his studies seriously if he wishes to take over the family practice. He nods and goes to his room where he packs a duffel full of things he thinks he will need plus the required toiletries.
Yagyuu flips through his passport to make sure it is still valid then slips it back into his jacket pocket. He tells his family it won't take long and gives himself the semester to find Niou and bring him home.
--
Yanagi says the odds are approximately one in thirty. Yagyuu watches as the data specialist goes through the cards one by one as if there are secret messages written on each. He wonders what number his former teammate meant. It is occasionally hard to tell.
"Thirty," Yanagi quips without missing a beat. "There is nothing particular about them. The order in which they arrived shows gives no indication of where he might be. Though, they were mainly sent from various regions in western Europe."
He hands the stack to Yagyuu, a wan smile stretching across his face.
"If anyone can beat the odds, it is you."
--
Yagyuu arrives in London close to noon. The sun is annoyingly bright. It reminds him of playing doubles with Niou in tournaments, the switch, and the look on their opponent's faces when they realize they've been duped. His lips twitch at the corners before the mask reappears.
It is the first time he has been abroad. He decides to forgo diving right into the search and locates a hotel. Pouring over the maps he bought in the airport, he finds all of the places from whence the postcards came. He spreads the map over the bed and puts the corresponding card next to each location. This pattern, spread out, makes absolutely no sense.
"I'll sleep on it," he says with a controlled yawn and clears off the bed.
He doesn't dream.
--
He stays in London for two weeks. It rains every day but three and thankfully, Yagyuu had the foresight to bring the extra large umbrella he uses for golf. He finds the weather terribly characteristic of this entire adventure. He almost is starting to regret coming.
Every place in a postcard comes up as a dead end. Not for the first time since he started, he wonders if he is doing the right thing. The pattern from the map making no clearer sense now than it did when he pieced it together his first night.
Pushing up his glasses and switching the umbrella to his left hand, he heads back to the hotel.
--
"I've been in England for a month, Yagyuu. I haven't seen him," Sanada says gruffly.
"It is possible he hasn't been near the Wimbledon site, Genichirou," Yukimura pipes up and takes a sip of tea.
The larger man runs a hand through longer hair and crosses his arms, staying silent. Yagyuu looks between them and wonders when they all split into their own little worlds. He takes his own drink of tea - Earl Grey - and tries to think of other methods to finding him.
"It's not as though we don't care, Yagyuu," the blue-haired tennis player says.
Yagyuu bows his head. "I am aware," he says lightly. "We're all busy."
Yukimura sets his tea cup down and leans forward, resting his hands on long fingers.
"Except you."
--
"It does seem like him, doesn't it?" Jackal asks over a static-filled call when Yagyuu is in Lisbon. "He could get by with just a few key phrases."
Yagyuu nods solemnly. The only Portuguese he knew was from Jackal and it wasn't, exactly, helpful. It mainly consisted of less than proper words that would best be spoken by an angry drunk man.
"If he had one of those conversational guides..." Jackal cuts out on the other side for a moment. When he comes back, he offers an apology and wishes Yagyuu good luck.
"You wouldn't be there if he didn't mean something to you."
He hangs up. Somewhere along the line he abandoned a bit of himself.
Yagyuu steps out of the alcove into the late afternoon sun. He wanders the streets, finally ending at the Monastery of St. Vincent. He almost laughs at Niou choosing this place, but once he steps inside, he can see why.
He prays he finds Niou soon.
--
Italy is no better. The postcards run him up and down the length of the country a few times. He isn't getting any closer. Niou is definitely running him ragged; it is almost worse than one of Yukimura's practices.
Yagyuu stops at a small cafe for a cup of coffee and snaps a picture of the assorted desserts that he will not touch. After he sends it to Marui, he mentally counts down the seconds until his cell rings.
"I fucking hate you," is the first thing out of Marui's mouth when Yagyuu answers his phone.
"Good evening to you as well, Marui-kun."
"What are you tryin' to do?"
"Inspiration," Yagyuu says, blowing on his coffee before taking a long sip. "You could use it."
Marui huffs on the other line. "You know, you could pick me up some and like express ship them to me. I'd totally pay you back."
Yagyuu contemplates it for a moment. "Has Niou-kun gotten in touch with you?"
He can feel Marui shaking his head when he says, "Not a word. I'm kind of surprised you haven't found him yet. I mean, you guys used to be one another."
A bubble pops on the other end and Yagyuu inwardly grimaces. "Right. I shall consider your request."
"Yeah, I know that means no, Yags," Marui says and a few seconds later, he hears a dial tone. He finishes his coffee and sets down a couple euros for a tip before continuing.
Yagyuu slips a coin into the Trevi Fountain and makes his way to the Coliseum. It doesn't surprise him at all to almost bump into a man in full gladiator regalia. If Niou had requested a picture, he might be tempted to do something very uncharacteristic.
--
Yagyuu finds Germany to be much more tolerable than Italy. His German isn't as good as his English, but he manages to get by. Munich is nice this time of year. He makes a mental note to come back when he is done with school for a more thorough visit.
Finishing another set of postcards, he is still nowhere near finding his doubles partner. He finds it frustrating even though he understands that it's Niou and that is how the other man operates.
Yanagi texts to inform him that Kirihara is there and may very well know where Niou is. He locates the tennis player practicing for a tournament, the BMW Open, if the the signs are any indication.
"Yanagi-kun said you might have heard from Niou-kun."
He watches the curly-haired player hit five balls at once. It is highly reminiscent of the U-17 training camp. The ball machine shuts off and Kirihara wanders over to him. He shrugs and wipes the sweat off his forehead with a towel.
"Niou-senpai is Niou-senpai," Kirihara states, as though this is the solution to everything, and takes a swig of Gatorade.
Adjusting his glasses, Yagyuu looks at his koutai reprovingly. Since when did the baby of the team become logical? He tells Kirihara good luck and leaves the tennis courts.
--
Maybe he should have gone in the order that spelled out the request. Yagyuu checks to see if that is feasible and sinks imperceptibly in his train seat when he figures out there is enough for one last search in France and the ticket home.
He doesn't understand why Niou picked Europe of all places. In all the years they have known one another, he had been the one who wanted to travel abroad. He was the one who learned English and French and a smattering of other languages to get him by. Niou had been more content to just go with the flow and take whatever path created itself in front of him.
Yagyuu doesn't know what he will do when he actually finds Niou. There is no 'if' because that is equivalent to losing. And if there is one thing that he took away from his years at Rikkai, it is that losing is unacceptable.
--
The bed is dusty and hard. Yagyuu stares at the ceiling for so long he can see the phrase on the postcards written across it. His phone stays silent on the rickety nightstand. He would almost will it to ring or indicate a message, but that speaks of being desperate. Yagyuu is nowhere close to that. He lies there for what feels like hours, but when he checks his watch it has only been forty-five minutes.
It is hard to sleep in the City of Lights, but he tries. Slipping off his glasses, he situates himself under the covers. The blankets are scratchy. Yagyuu is convinced that whomever does the laundry is not familiar with fabric softener. He falls into a fitful rest, tossing and turning until the sun streams through the murky window.
--
More coffee.
Yagyuu is on his fifth cup by noon and has completed the last of the postcards. No one remembers a young man with a shock of silverish hair. He sinks down against the outer wall of a bridge overlooking the Seine. He closes his eyes and wills himself to relax.
"Yo," comes a familiar voice and Yagyuu opens his eyes to see Niou squatting before him. "Had fun, did ya?"
Yagyuu's lips draw into a thin line as he sits up straighter against the brick. "Not particularly."
Niou looks healthier, but that could just be the way the clothes are hanging off his frame. Yagyuu isn't entirely sure and he doesn't want to ask about that or how Niou knew he would be here. It would, no doubt, ruin the effect of the entire thing. He sits next to Yagyuu and bumps their shoulders together, offering a devious grin.
The other man runs a hand through his hair, messing it up further. He reaches forward to pluck Yagyuu's glasses off of his face, folding them neatly and tucking them into his shirt pocket. Pulling out two contact lens cases, he holds one out for Yagyuu only opening his and fiddling with after the bespectacled man takes it. After a couple of minutes, he slips in a different pair and slides the glasses on.
"You did well," Niou says, holding out the other case. "Thank you."
"So did you, Yaaagyuu," Yagyuu drawls, opening the case. He slides out both contacts and blinks a few times. Rubbing them, his lips curl just a bit. He stretches, yawns, and rubs his hands through his hair. "Damn, it'll be so nice to not have to dye my hair this color anymore. How I've missed thee, box of bleach."
"Likewise," he says primly. "If I ever smell peroxide again, it will be too soon."
Niou laughs heartily and pulls Yagyuu close. "You're done with this, right?"
As nice as a full year abroad with no real responsibilities all while testing a theory had been, the homesickness Yagyuu could have done without. He nods. "I suppose I'll continue university when I return. What will you do?"
Niou yawns. "Dunno. It was fun, being you, but there's no way I'm cut out to be a doctor. Maybe do maths or something cause yours had me on my toes for a bit there."
There's so much more Yagyuu wants to ask, to get filled in on, but he just leans in and kisses Niou lightly. "Thank you," he breathes against his lips, "for finding me."
Title: When You Reach Me
Characters: Yagyuu, Niou, rest of Rikkai
Rating: PG/PG-13
Summary: Yagyuu goes on a search.
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: Copyright belongs to Konomi-sensei.
A/N: None.
The postcards start arriving during Yagyuu's second year of university. He sets them on a little shelf next to his laptop. They accumulate steadily. He eyes them occasionally between reports and assignments, but for the most part they go ignored...
Until he figures out the pattern.
Yagyuu pulls them out of their nook and arranges them all with the picture on the front facing down. He pushes up his glasses and stares at the image before him. In hasty, slightly broken kanji is the phrase 'come find me.'
It takes him an hour to make his decision.
--
He really shouldn't go. Knows he needs to stay and finish up the year, but he takes a break at semester and travels back to Kanagawa. Yagyuu's father gives him a brief lecture on taking his studies seriously if he wishes to take over the family practice. He nods and goes to his room where he packs a duffel full of things he thinks he will need plus the required toiletries.
Yagyuu flips through his passport to make sure it is still valid then slips it back into his jacket pocket. He tells his family it won't take long and gives himself the semester to find Niou and bring him home.
--
Yanagi says the odds are approximately one in thirty. Yagyuu watches as the data specialist goes through the cards one by one as if there are secret messages written on each. He wonders what number his former teammate meant. It is occasionally hard to tell.
"Thirty," Yanagi quips without missing a beat. "There is nothing particular about them. The order in which they arrived shows gives no indication of where he might be. Though, they were mainly sent from various regions in western Europe."
He hands the stack to Yagyuu, a wan smile stretching across his face.
"If anyone can beat the odds, it is you."
--
Yagyuu arrives in London close to noon. The sun is annoyingly bright. It reminds him of playing doubles with Niou in tournaments, the switch, and the look on their opponent's faces when they realize they've been duped. His lips twitch at the corners before the mask reappears.
It is the first time he has been abroad. He decides to forgo diving right into the search and locates a hotel. Pouring over the maps he bought in the airport, he finds all of the places from whence the postcards came. He spreads the map over the bed and puts the corresponding card next to each location. This pattern, spread out, makes absolutely no sense.
"I'll sleep on it," he says with a controlled yawn and clears off the bed.
He doesn't dream.
--
He stays in London for two weeks. It rains every day but three and thankfully, Yagyuu had the foresight to bring the extra large umbrella he uses for golf. He finds the weather terribly characteristic of this entire adventure. He almost is starting to regret coming.
Every place in a postcard comes up as a dead end. Not for the first time since he started, he wonders if he is doing the right thing. The pattern from the map making no clearer sense now than it did when he pieced it together his first night.
Pushing up his glasses and switching the umbrella to his left hand, he heads back to the hotel.
--
"I've been in England for a month, Yagyuu. I haven't seen him," Sanada says gruffly.
"It is possible he hasn't been near the Wimbledon site, Genichirou," Yukimura pipes up and takes a sip of tea.
The larger man runs a hand through longer hair and crosses his arms, staying silent. Yagyuu looks between them and wonders when they all split into their own little worlds. He takes his own drink of tea - Earl Grey - and tries to think of other methods to finding him.
"It's not as though we don't care, Yagyuu," the blue-haired tennis player says.
Yagyuu bows his head. "I am aware," he says lightly. "We're all busy."
Yukimura sets his tea cup down and leans forward, resting his hands on long fingers.
"Except you."
--
"It does seem like him, doesn't it?" Jackal asks over a static-filled call when Yagyuu is in Lisbon. "He could get by with just a few key phrases."
Yagyuu nods solemnly. The only Portuguese he knew was from Jackal and it wasn't, exactly, helpful. It mainly consisted of less than proper words that would best be spoken by an angry drunk man.
"If he had one of those conversational guides..." Jackal cuts out on the other side for a moment. When he comes back, he offers an apology and wishes Yagyuu good luck.
"You wouldn't be there if he didn't mean something to you."
He hangs up. Somewhere along the line he abandoned a bit of himself.
Yagyuu steps out of the alcove into the late afternoon sun. He wanders the streets, finally ending at the Monastery of St. Vincent. He almost laughs at Niou choosing this place, but once he steps inside, he can see why.
He prays he finds Niou soon.
--
Italy is no better. The postcards run him up and down the length of the country a few times. He isn't getting any closer. Niou is definitely running him ragged; it is almost worse than one of Yukimura's practices.
Yagyuu stops at a small cafe for a cup of coffee and snaps a picture of the assorted desserts that he will not touch. After he sends it to Marui, he mentally counts down the seconds until his cell rings.
"I fucking hate you," is the first thing out of Marui's mouth when Yagyuu answers his phone.
"Good evening to you as well, Marui-kun."
"What are you tryin' to do?"
"Inspiration," Yagyuu says, blowing on his coffee before taking a long sip. "You could use it."
Marui huffs on the other line. "You know, you could pick me up some and like express ship them to me. I'd totally pay you back."
Yagyuu contemplates it for a moment. "Has Niou-kun gotten in touch with you?"
He can feel Marui shaking his head when he says, "Not a word. I'm kind of surprised you haven't found him yet. I mean, you guys used to be one another."
A bubble pops on the other end and Yagyuu inwardly grimaces. "Right. I shall consider your request."
"Yeah, I know that means no, Yags," Marui says and a few seconds later, he hears a dial tone. He finishes his coffee and sets down a couple euros for a tip before continuing.
Yagyuu slips a coin into the Trevi Fountain and makes his way to the Coliseum. It doesn't surprise him at all to almost bump into a man in full gladiator regalia. If Niou had requested a picture, he might be tempted to do something very uncharacteristic.
--
Yagyuu finds Germany to be much more tolerable than Italy. His German isn't as good as his English, but he manages to get by. Munich is nice this time of year. He makes a mental note to come back when he is done with school for a more thorough visit.
Finishing another set of postcards, he is still nowhere near finding his doubles partner. He finds it frustrating even though he understands that it's Niou and that is how the other man operates.
Yanagi texts to inform him that Kirihara is there and may very well know where Niou is. He locates the tennis player practicing for a tournament, the BMW Open, if the the signs are any indication.
"Yanagi-kun said you might have heard from Niou-kun."
He watches the curly-haired player hit five balls at once. It is highly reminiscent of the U-17 training camp. The ball machine shuts off and Kirihara wanders over to him. He shrugs and wipes the sweat off his forehead with a towel.
"Niou-senpai is Niou-senpai," Kirihara states, as though this is the solution to everything, and takes a swig of Gatorade.
Adjusting his glasses, Yagyuu looks at his koutai reprovingly. Since when did the baby of the team become logical? He tells Kirihara good luck and leaves the tennis courts.
--
Maybe he should have gone in the order that spelled out the request. Yagyuu checks to see if that is feasible and sinks imperceptibly in his train seat when he figures out there is enough for one last search in France and the ticket home.
He doesn't understand why Niou picked Europe of all places. In all the years they have known one another, he had been the one who wanted to travel abroad. He was the one who learned English and French and a smattering of other languages to get him by. Niou had been more content to just go with the flow and take whatever path created itself in front of him.
Yagyuu doesn't know what he will do when he actually finds Niou. There is no 'if' because that is equivalent to losing. And if there is one thing that he took away from his years at Rikkai, it is that losing is unacceptable.
--
The bed is dusty and hard. Yagyuu stares at the ceiling for so long he can see the phrase on the postcards written across it. His phone stays silent on the rickety nightstand. He would almost will it to ring or indicate a message, but that speaks of being desperate. Yagyuu is nowhere close to that. He lies there for what feels like hours, but when he checks his watch it has only been forty-five minutes.
It is hard to sleep in the City of Lights, but he tries. Slipping off his glasses, he situates himself under the covers. The blankets are scratchy. Yagyuu is convinced that whomever does the laundry is not familiar with fabric softener. He falls into a fitful rest, tossing and turning until the sun streams through the murky window.
--
More coffee.
Yagyuu is on his fifth cup by noon and has completed the last of the postcards. No one remembers a young man with a shock of silverish hair. He sinks down against the outer wall of a bridge overlooking the Seine. He closes his eyes and wills himself to relax.
"Yo," comes a familiar voice and Yagyuu opens his eyes to see Niou squatting before him. "Had fun, did ya?"
Yagyuu's lips draw into a thin line as he sits up straighter against the brick. "Not particularly."
Niou looks healthier, but that could just be the way the clothes are hanging off his frame. Yagyuu isn't entirely sure and he doesn't want to ask about that or how Niou knew he would be here. It would, no doubt, ruin the effect of the entire thing. He sits next to Yagyuu and bumps their shoulders together, offering a devious grin.
The other man runs a hand through his hair, messing it up further. He reaches forward to pluck Yagyuu's glasses off of his face, folding them neatly and tucking them into his shirt pocket. Pulling out two contact lens cases, he holds one out for Yagyuu only opening his and fiddling with after the bespectacled man takes it. After a couple of minutes, he slips in a different pair and slides the glasses on.
"You did well," Niou says, holding out the other case. "Thank you."
"So did you, Yaaagyuu," Yagyuu drawls, opening the case. He slides out both contacts and blinks a few times. Rubbing them, his lips curl just a bit. He stretches, yawns, and rubs his hands through his hair. "Damn, it'll be so nice to not have to dye my hair this color anymore. How I've missed thee, box of bleach."
"Likewise," he says primly. "If I ever smell peroxide again, it will be too soon."
Niou laughs heartily and pulls Yagyuu close. "You're done with this, right?"
As nice as a full year abroad with no real responsibilities all while testing a theory had been, the homesickness Yagyuu could have done without. He nods. "I suppose I'll continue university when I return. What will you do?"
Niou yawns. "Dunno. It was fun, being you, but there's no way I'm cut out to be a doctor. Maybe do maths or something cause yours had me on my toes for a bit there."
There's so much more Yagyuu wants to ask, to get filled in on, but he just leans in and kisses Niou lightly. "Thank you," he breathes against his lips, "for finding me."